LIBRARY OF CONGRESS i 

$ 






UNITED STATES 




AN 

ADDRESS, 

Part of which, only was delivered upon the 
opening of 

BALTIMORE COLLEGE; ; 

But agreeably to promise, the whole is now submitted to 
the public. 

TO WHICH IS ANNEXED A 

FUNERAL MASONIC SERMON, 

UPON THE 

HAPPINESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS AFTER DEATH. 

( Published at the request of some friends. ) 



BY THE REV. WILLIAM SINCLAIR, 
V. P. Baltimore College. 



<c Nullius addictus jurafe in verba magistri."— Hon* 

4< Amicus Plato, Anaicus Socrates, magis tamen Arnica Veritas " — Ar: 



Richard /. Matchett print, —Bait, 















(StS-Oo- 






PREFACE TO THE READER. 

The reader will please to observe, that the 
following Address is exhibited to the public, ra- 
ther as a compilation, than an original producti- 
on. The plan, and arrangement, are in some 
degree new, though the language and observa- 
tions may be thought trite and common. The 
Author is sensible of its many errors and de- 
fects ; yet if it be considered, that it was writ- 
ten in those hours of relaxation from the severe 
duties of a laborious, daily occupation, when 
the mind was wearied out and exhausted by the 
fatigue of academical teaching, this may be 
pleaded as an apology for its imperfections. 
The authorities alluded to in the work, are En- 
field's history of Philosophy, Kett's Elements, 
Warton's Dissertations, Robertson's Charles 
5th, Hume, Henry and Gibbon's histories, and 
the Encyclopedia ; with some other writers of 
celebrity, who are quoted from memory. 
Among the ancient authors, some facts are 
cited, from Homer, Pindar, Longinus, Horace. 
Virgil, Livy, Sallust, Tacitus and Seneca, 

The sermon was delivered in Baltimore up- 
on the occasion of the death of a respected bro- 
ther Mason, and which, at the time, gave such 
satisfaction, as produced an invitation to have it 
published ; the author did not find it convenient 
to comply with the request at the time, but 
postponed it until the present period. The de- 
ceased brother met with a watery grave in the 
bosom of the ocean ; at the time of his death, it 



PREFACE, 

Was stated that he possessed integrity and vir- 
tue, and it is known that his memory is still che- 
rished with tenderness and affection, by his nu- 
merous friends and relatives : and though his 
name is now passed over in silence, yet the effects 
of his goodness will never die. 



DEDICATION, 

To His Excellency the Governor, the Council* 
and the Honourable the General Assembly of 
Maryland, 

fcENTEMEN, 

PERMIT me to dedicate the following 
Address and Sermon to your consideration and 
patronage. Contemplating with high exulta- 
tion, the American Revolution, as establishing 
the independence, and freedom of this great 
continent ; in the honesty of my mind, I ad- 
mire the democratic principles you possess ; I 
venerate the political characters you maintain ; 
and rejoice in the success of the cause, for 
which Washington triumphantly fought, and 
Montgomery gloriously fell in the field. The 
struggle is ended, but the fruits and trophies 
remain ; the laurels of valour and fame, will 
spring from their graves, and be incorruptible ; 
and their names and memories shall never be 
shrouded by the sable wings of oblivion. Per- 
secuted in my native land, for a sincere and firm 
adherence to the same cause, I sought an asyl- 
um in the United States, and here I have found 
it. " Where libertyis, there is my country." 
In this free and happy land, labouring anxiously 
in the cultivation of the youthful mind, I trust, 
my arduous exertions have not been uselessly 
employed in the service of my adopted country. 
The charter of Baltimore College, is the sanc- 
tion of your approbation, and its preamble is 



(vi) 

the expression of your liberality. I owe to you, 
besides, personal obligations for favours, in 
which, honour and sympathy met together, jus- 
tice and humanity kissed each other. An Irish- 
man's heart is the tablet of gratitude, his soul 
is naturally republican, and the pulsations of 
such feelings as they inspire, only cease with 
life. The pressure of tyranny, erects him to the 
perpendicular character of man, and with his 
face to the heavens, like Antaeus of old, he de- 
rives more than Herculean force from the 
earth. 

As long as " the Sun in rosy mantle clad, 
trips oer the dew of yon high Eastern hill," and 
gilds the morning clouds with his beams, may 
science and freedom, truth and Christianity pre- 
vail, and may this great republic be instrument- 
al in accomplishing these desirable objects ! If 
blessings so valuable spread their influence fair 
and wide, then our citizens will be no less wise 
and virtuous, than they are free and independ- 
ent; and when these sublunary scenes shall 
close upon them, as close they must, the enjoy- 
ment of heaven and happiness, will be their 
treasure and reward in the worlds beyond the 
grave. There, honest worth, sacred truth and 
tried integrity shall dwell forever ; but the 
lordly and proud oppressors of suffering hu- 
manity, shall never approach, to pollute those 
happy mansions of purity and peace. Against 
men, who delight in torture and whose hands 
are stained in blood, "the door is shut." But 
amidst the convulsions of the earth and the 



( vii ; 

shaking of the nations, whilst the grim and hor- 
rid monster of war, is pouring a sanguinary- 
flood over the fair and fertile plains of Europe, 
I pray that the American republic, the world's 
last and best hope, reared upon a basis of Do- 
ric strength, may be durable as time, and immor- 
tal as the memory of its great and illustrious 
Founders. 

With great deference, no little timidity, and 
profound respect, this new year's offering will 
be presented to you and the public, on the 1st 
of January 1812. I pretend not to much novel 
ty, and to less originality, in the composition of 
this little work. If it tends, however, to excite 
in the minds of youth, a liberal spirit of inqui- 
ry, to invite their taste to just principles of sci- 
ence and morality, and to inspire them with de- 
vout and sublime sentiments of piety and reli- 
gion, the author's views will be fully answered, 
by the publication. 

I have the honour to be, gentlemen, respect- 
fully, your devoted humble servant and fellow 
citizen. 

WM. SINCLAIR. 

Baltimore College, Dec. 25, 1811, 



AN 



INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS, &c. 



Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I rise with diffidence and respect, at the re- 
quest of some patrons and friends of our College Insti- 
tution, to address you upon the present occasion. I 
assure you, I feel no little awe and agitation, when I 
view the present assemblage of elegance and taste pre- 
sented before me, and am ready to sink under the con- 
viction of the inadequacy of my own powers to do justice 
to the present subject ; but as any remarks I shall sub- 
mit, however crude or ill digested, are well intended, I 
rely upon your goodness for indulgence to the many 
imperfections I am deeply sensible of, and upon your 
patience and politeness for a favourable hearing of such 
observations as shall be laid before you. 

If Pericles of old, prayed to the gods, when he ad- 
dressed an audience, that he might not commit any 
trespass upon language, what must be the state of my 
feelings upon the present occasion, whose glimmering 
sight in its boldest vision, can scarcely reach the foot- 
stool of that towering and commanding eloquence which 
he possessed. But though we cannot thunder with a 
voice like Pericles, let us endeavour to speak common 
sense, and to supply by a respectful mildness and ame- 
nity of manner* what we want in force and dignity of 
language, A 



( 2 ) 

In considering the present subject, I maybe permitted 
to adopt the adage of the ancient sage, and which is said 
to have descended from Heaven and to be inscribed 
in the temple of Apollo "r*£0/ <re<*tW Know thyself, 
and what is man, but a being sent into the world, to 
study his own nature, the operation of his own powers 
and the great end of his creation ? This is the origin 
of education, which may be defined a system of study 
calculated to rouse our dormant faculties, to push them 
forth into action and to stimulate us to answer in life, the 
valuable purposes for which a good providence sent us 
into the world. This remark is confirmed by the voice 
of revelation— When God created man, he placed him 
in the garden of Eden, " to dress it and keep it." — 
Hence the primordial law of diligence and industry as 
well as of innocence. And what is the wise saying of 
the philosopher of old upon a similar occasion? " Lay 
in wisdom, my son, as the store for your journey from 
youth to old age, for it is the most certain possession." 
And the wprds of Seneca are particularly strong and 
pointed upon the present subject, and ought to be printed 
in indelible characters upon the table of the youthful 
heart, "Otiumsine Uteris mors est— -et vivi hominis se- 
pu era." — Idleness without learning, is death — it is 
the grave of the living man. Hence the dictates of 
nature, the commands of inspiration and the maxims 
of philosophy go hand in hand upon this subject. — 
Who then can doubt the dignity and importance of a 
well regulated system of education thus sanctioned and 
irecommended by such high authority ? 



( 3 ) 

In all ages of the world and in all periods of refine- 
ment, this subject has interested the feelings and secured 
the attention of society ; the flights of poetic genius, 
the disquisitions of the philosopher, and the solemn 
discussions of the legislator and statesman, have all, 
both in ancient and modern times, been less or more 
devoted to this highly important subject ; nor is this to 
be wondered at, since education in its nature and effects, 
is attended with such beneficial consequences to civil 
society and is essential to the rank and elevation of man ^ 
kind, as rational and moral beings. 

Education is calculated to enlighten the understanding 
of man, to. extend the sphere of his power and influence, 
to sweeten his temper and ameliorate his heart ; educa- 
tion is calculated to elevate our desires above the sordid 
pursuits of life, to expand and invigorate the generous 
affections of our nature and to infuse the most rational 
and delightful streams of enjoyment into the soul; edu- 
cation raises its possessor to a proud rank and pre-emi- 
nence, it entwines his brow with dignity and majesty 
and encircles his character with the lustre of virtue and 
the splendor of fame and renown ; whether we are in 
prosperity or adversity, in society or in solitude, in 
health or in sickness, in felicity or wretchedness, the 
cultivation of the human mind tends to lighten the 
pressure of the one and to cheer and refine the pleasures 
of the other. " Hoec studia, says Cicero, adolescen- 
tiam alunt, senectutem oblectant secundas res ornant 9 
adversis perfugium ac solatium prcebent, delectant domi 
non impediunt foris, pernoctant nobiscum, peregri- 
nantur, rusticantur." — These studies nourish youth? 



( 4 ) 

they delight old age, they adorn prosperity, and afford 
a refuge and comfort to us in adversity, they cheer us at 
home, they are no impediment abroad, they spend the 
night with us, they go abroad with us and accompany 
us to all countries of the world. Nay, let the tyrant 
with his myrmidons, hurl us from an exalted station in 
society, let him immure us in the damp of a dungeon 
or the stench of a prison- ship and environ us with every 
circumstance of horror and terror, which his fury and 
malignity can inflict, yet he cannot eviscerate the seeds 
of science from the human soul or sully the brilliant 
gems of education. 

What is a piece of marble taken from the quarry, 
without being chiseled into form by the hand of the 
mechanic? It is but a slab of inert, unwieldy matter, 
odious to the sight, deformed and useless, but give it 
the finishing polish of the artist, and then it exhibits 
beauty to the eye, smoothness to the touch, utility in 
the arts, and becomes an ornament in architecture. So 
is it with the human soul : by culture it acquires the 
stamp of valuation, it is separated from its dross, it is 
divested of it's vulgarity, it rises into eminence and 
worth, it shines with transparency and lustre and is 
polished into elegance and refinement. Compare the 
wild Indian that roams the forest, whose mind and 
manners are as barren and uncultivated as the rocks and 
mountains over which he ranges for subsistance, with 
the scholar and the gentleman whose intellectual powers 
have advanced to the highest orb of improvement in 
learning and science, and how infinitely does the one 
sink below the other. The truth is, that the origin and 



( 5 ) 

progress of learning and science from a fabulous and 
barbarous state to the zenith of their highest cultivation, 
bear a striking resemblance to the gradual expansion of 
the human soul, from its early, puerile struggles in ac- 
quiring the rudiments of knowledge and its subsequent 
advancement in the scale of literary improvement. 

It is a maxim deducible from the nature and opera- 
tions of the faculties of man, that all his acquisitions, 
particularly within the range of the arts and sciences are 
gradual and progressive, and the highest attainments of 
a Newton himself are founded upon the same intellectual 
law, which, by the fiat of providence, has been engra- 
ven upon the human constitution. Those mighty pow- 
ers, those mathematical talents, those soaring flights of 
genius which he possessed and exhibited, were once 
confined to the narrow space of an oyster in its shell, 
when he was an Embryo in the womb ; but after birth, 
culture and improvement brought them forward to notice 
and stampt them with distinction and pre-eminence ; 
man therefore should not presume to scan the heavens, 
before he can dissect the fly. 

This same principle pervades the animal and vegetable 
kingdoms, and every plant and living existence are sub-* 
ject to its operations ; the opening flowers which gar- 
nish the fields in spring and the majestic oak which waves 
its top in autumn, with every plant, shrub and tree 
which adorn the forest with their foliage and beauty, all 
participate of the same nature, are invigorated by the 
same energy, and are governed by the same uniform law 
of vegetation, the same system sustains the animal cre- 
ation and establishes the fact of a progressive principle 



( * ) 

which shoots its vital powers through all stages of their 
existence, from the first germ of being to the highest de~ 
grees of perfection. Nay, even man himself the boast- 
ed lord of this lower world, is a creature of a similar 
mould and texture and ascends to the highest excellen- 
cies of his nature upon similar laws and principles ; the 
powers of his body, the faculties of his mind, the affec- 
tions of his heart and the virtues of his life, spring 
from the same source and are subject to that unalterable 
law, which, by the decrees of the Almighty, regulates 
the system of the universe. In like manner, philosophy 
which is a collection of those important conclusions 
and discoveries which are drawn from the efforts of the 
reasoning powers of the human understanding, exhibits 
also in its history and progress a convincing proof of 
the accuracy of these observations. In her progress* 
from the east to the west, that is, from India to Phe- 
nicia, from thence to Egypt, from Egypt to Greece 
and from Greece to Rome, we see her steps by degrees 
strewed with softer graces and milder virtues, and 
her path irradiated with brighter and brighter rays 
of knowledge and more extended views of science, 
until she ascends to her meridian altitude in the most 
splendid and renowned days of Grecian and Roman 
literature . Religion too, or in other words, the wisdom 
of the eternal and all perfect God, hath poured its bles- 
sings upon the world from the fountain of divine truth 
in the same gradual and progressive streams ; and 
Christianity, that offspring of heavenly mercy, which 
sprang from the bosom of God for the salvation of 
man, rose in Judea like the morning dawn ; at its origin, 



( 7 ) 

it was enveloped in darkness, but by degrees , it burst 
forth with cloudless splendor, and hath encircled the 
world with the rays of its benevolence, its wisdom and 
its truth. 

In the farther prosecution of this enquiry, it may be 
a pleasing and useful exercise upon the present occasion, 
to take a short and general view of the state of science 
and learning among the ancients, as a preliminary intro- 
duction to the few observations that may be offered, in 
tracing the progress of the same subject in modern 
times, and occasionally point out those distinguished 
philosophers and enlightened sages, who have contri- 
buted by their abilities and discoveries to illuminate the 
paths and forward the progress of science, previously to 
the establishment of colleges and universities. 

In the second place, it may be of importance, to in- 
vestigate some of the causes and events that have con- 
tributed to the revival of learning, after the destruction 
of the Roman empire and the ruin of literature in the 
middle ages. 

Thirdly. Endeavour to show the superior advantages 
of collegiate institutions in the instruction of youth, 
over private seminaries and academies. 

Lastly. Close the subject with a short address to the 
professors, trustees and students of Baltimore College. 
5 As the subject is so extensive and embraces such an 
immense field of knowledge, the difficulty here will be 
to confine our enquiries to reasonable bounds, and to 
compress such a multitude of historical facts within the 
short compass of an introductory address. 



( 8 ) 

In turning over the folds of the historic pages in search 
of truth upon which to rest our enquiries, we find that 
the poets were in a manner the first historians, philoso- 
phers, statesmen and legislators. By them the rude 
and ignorant minds of men were gradually enlightened, 
the ferocity of their nature subdued, their manners 
humanized, their vices corrected and habits of civili- 
zation and refinement early formed, when as yet the 
earth was but the theatre of devastation, bloodshed and 
plunder. Hence the oracles of the gods were announced 
in poetic numbers, the first laws were written in verse, 
and the moral precepts of the philosophic sages delivered 
in measured cadence. Even religion, " Goddess, 
heavenly bright," alas ! then clothed in the horrific 
garb of superstition and enthusiasm, was also subject 
to the rigid rules of rhyme, in the hymn, the ode and 
the sacred song. Linus and Orpheus, Tamyris and 
Amphion, Musseus and Melampus, Homer and He- 
siod, all prophets old, " then feed on thoughts that 
voluntary move harmonious numbers," poured forth 
the sublime strains of poetic melody, to touch the 
fibres of the human heart and tame the fierceness of 
human manners. For w T hat were the wonderful effects 
of their genius and musical powers in charming the 
attention of listening birds and beasts, and drawing 
rocks, woods and rivers after them, but the fabulous 
display of the magic influence of verse over the wild 
and uncultivated manners of the human race in the dark 
and barbarous ages of society ? 

Were Orpheus and Amphion fabled to assuage the 
tiger's fierceness and the lion's rage ; did they reclaim 



( » ) 

men from the food of acorns, brutal fierceness and mu- 
tual blood ; did they plan towns, institute laws, and 
build the Theban walls; all this but illustrates the ener- 
getic charms of poetry and musick and exhibits their 
powerful and delightful effects in smoothing the path to 
refinement and opening the dawn of civilization over 
the world. Such are the moral sentiments of Horace the 
sweetest of poets : — 

Sylvestres homines, sacer internresque Deorum, 
Caedibus et victu fedo, cletinuil Orpheus ; 
Dictus ob hoc, ienire tygres rabidosque eones ; 
Dictus et Amphion, Thebanae conditor Arcis. 

Thus translated by Francis : — 

The wood born race of men, whom Orpheus tam'dj 
From acorns and from mutual blood reclaimed. 
This pnesi divne was fabled to assuage 
The tyger's fierceness, and the lion's rage. 
Thus rose the Theban wall, Amphion's Ivre, 
And soothing voice the list'ning stones inspire. 

Next to the poets followed the wise men and the 

philosophers, who undertook to spread the light of 

science over the regions of rudeness and barbarity ; 

for though the immortal Homer, whose praise and 

sublimity are the theme of every school-boy and the 

repeated delight of every master, the richness of whose 

fancy, the delicacy of whose taste and the towering 

boldness of whose original mind have spread a literary 

feast for ages, though he, I say, may be considered as 

in a great measure, the father of morals as well as of 

verse, because he has displayed in his unrivalled poems 

every thing that is grand and delicate in composition, and 

pure and correct in morals, or in Horace's words, 

"Qui, qu >d sit ] ulchi um, quad turpe, quod utile, 

quod n n, 
Plenius et melius Chrysippo et Cantore, dicit." 

B 



( io*) 

jet as he was accessible only to a few literary students* 
and his principles and opinions so clouded in fable and 
exalted above the reach of the common mass of the peo- 
ple, it required the able, profound and persevering dis- 
cussion of the sage philosopher to give perspicuity and 
extent, force and precision to those moral truths and 
fundamental maxims, which constitute the basis and di- 
rect the line of human conduct in all situations and re- 
lations of life. Hence we find that two great schools 
were opened in a very early period of society, for cul- 
tivating the powers of the human understanding and en- 
larging the sphere of human knowledge, as well as in- 
culcating the pinciples and practice of virtue. The one 
was founded by Thales of Miletus in Greece and the 
other by Pythagoras of Samos in Italy, the one called 
the Ionic and the other the Italic school. From these 
two schools issued a vast variety of sects, which were 
distinguished in after periods by the peculiarity of their 
tenets, and which shone in their respective spheres with 
rays of literary brightness. 

To rude and illiterate man in the barbarous ages of 
society, the doctrines of religion and the precepts of 
morality, were delivered under the disguise of fable and 
clothed in the awful terrors of wild superstition and 
imaginary prodigies, the powers of invisible spirits were 
to strike the alarm, which was to bend the barbarous 
nations of the earth to the yoke of authority , reclaim them 
by degrees from discord and criminality, and allure their 
hearts to wisdom and virtue. Thus says the venera- 
ble Strabo. 

" It is not possible to lead a promiscuous multitude 
to religion and virtue by philosophical harangues, 



( 11 ) 

thunderbolts, the iEgis, the Trident, the spear, snakes 
and torches were the instruments made use of by the 
founders of states, to terrify the ignorant multitude into 
subjection." But though this opinion prevailed in a 
barbarous age, when philosophy seemed to have taken 
her flight from the ~arth, yet upon her return, she was 
accompanied both with milder manners and more ex- 
tensive views of science, and took up her residence alter- 
nately on the shores of Italy and Greece. There the first 
schools were opened and the first lectures delivered, 
which spread the influence of truth and knowledge, and 
attracted the attention of multitudes from different parts 
of the world. To Thales succeeded Socrates, Plato, 
Aristotle, Anaxagoras, Antisthenes, Diogenes and 
Zeno. To Pythagoras succeeded Xenophanes, Hera- 
clitus, Democritus, Epicurus and Pyrrho, all of whom 
were celebrated as founders of schools, as cultivators 
of philosophy, as instructors of youth and as friends 
and patrons of science. 

Thales, the founder of the Ionic sect, was a teacher 
eminent for his knowledge of philosophy, astronomy 
and geometry ; and if we consider the early period at 
which he flourished, he was highly distinguished for 
great intellectual endowments and extensive literary 
acquirements. But his successor Socrates is by far the 
most illustrious character of antiquity. He justly stands 
at the head of all the ancient philosophers, for his un- 
bounded philanthrophy, indefatigable industry and solid 
instruction of youth in moral virtue. Hence he is styled 
with great propriety the father of moral philosophy. 
He was eminently qualified to direct others by his ad- 
vice, to penetrate into the sources of human action, to 



( 12 ) 

counteract the vices of mankind and to excite them to 
the practice of virtue by an amiable life and spotless 
example. The youth of Athens he reclaimed from the 
excels of folly and dissipation, and like the pole star, 
whose u tre presents a steady and serene aspest to the 
wandering: mariner, he led his inexperienced followers 
from the shoals of vice and profligacy, up the hill of 
science and iu it. Let the slanderers of this great and 
good man blush and hide their heads in shame and dis« 
grace, for their slander revolves upon themselves with 
accumulated infamy, and their lying insinuations cover 
them over with the more baseness and malignity. Ze- 
nephon who knew him well, pronounced him the most 
virtuous and the happiest of men ; and Cicero truly 
says, " that he was the first who called down philosophy 
from Heaven upon earth, who introduced her into the 
public walks and domestic retirements of men, that he 
might instruct them concerning life and manners"; and 
though he was plagued with a scolding wile and was 
naturally of an irritable temper, yet such was the power 
of moral discipline over his dispositions and manners, 
that his mind was neither ruffled by the irritability of the 
one nor the clamours of the other. But the tragic scene 
of his cruel and unmerited death, addresses our feelings 
with peculiar interest and sensibility. He drank the cup 
of poison and bore the stroke of persecution with the 
composure of a philosopher and a martyr, and whilst 
his numerous friends were wee ping around him ; he alone 
maintained his integrity and firmness with magnanimous 
serenity, " A story, says Cicero, which I never read 
without shedding tears," 



( 13 ) 

*' Of all the disciples of Socrates, says an elegant 
writer, Piato, though he modestly calls himself the least, 
was by far, unquestionably the most illustrious." 

To the study of philosophy and theology, Plato united 
the elegant accomplishments of poetry and painting. In 
the former he attempted to rival Homer by an epic poem 
which he composed, but so inferior was he even in his 
own judgment to that great original, that he committed 
his own production to the flames in disgust, and aban- 
doned the study for ever afterwards. 

In philosophy, however, he rose to higher eminence 
and attracted more permanent admiration. He founded 
the old academy, so called from Hecademus, the name 
of the original proprietor of the garden which he pur- 
chased; it was situated in the neighbourhood of Athens, 
there he opened his school, adorned it with statues and 
temples, beautified it with a meandering stream, and 
planted it with lofty plane trees — delightful retreat for 
the study of philosophy and the residence of the muses ! 
In allusion to this charming mansion, no doubt, is this 
line of Horace :*-* 

" Atque inter sylvas Acadenu" quseiere verum." 

That Plato was much addicted to the study of ma- 
thematics, is strikingly illustrated by this inscription 
over the door of his academy, "«& aytw^r.ros eiVj/tw," Let 
no one ignorant of philosophy enter here. Many anec- 
dotes are related of Plato, that do honour to his name, 
his character and temper. When he was lifting up his 
arm in anger to chastise his servant who had offended 
him, he restrained himself in the midst of his passion 
and kept his hand fixed and suspended, and said to his 



( 14 ) 

friend surprised at the attitude to which it was raised, 
" I am punishing an angry and passionate man." And 
upon another occasion he said to one of his slaves, "I 
would chastise you if I were not angry." And when 
his enemies were circulating reports to the prejudice of 
his character, what did he say ? "I will live so, that no 
one will believe them." 

These traits shew a mind well adjusted and a temper 
w T ell regulated by that philosophy which he inculcated 
upon others. 

But what beautifully attracts our notice in the writ- 
ings and philosophy of Plato, are the sweetness, glowing 
conceptions and sublime style of his diction and compo- 
sition. Perhaps this arose from his early cultivation of 
poetry, which gave a peculiar elevation and elegance to 
his expressions. Hence Cicero applies to him this lofty 
encomium, " That if Jupiter was to descend upon the 
earth and speak in the Greek tongue, he would borrow 
the language of Plato." 

We are next to turn our attention to another philoso- 
pher of extraordinary talents and illusirious fame, who 
was the founder of the Peripatetic sect, viz : Aristotle. 
This wonderful genius, this phenomenon of literature, 
whose philosophical tenets, profound and abstruse spe- 
culations reigned in the schools for about 2,000 years 
with as absolute sway, as his renowned pupil ruled 
the world by the power of his sword and the splendor of 
his victories, was a favourite disciple and the successor 
of Plato. From his earliest years he discovered aston- 
ishing powers of mind, and from his numerous writings, 
he. must have possessed the most laborious application. 



( 15 ) 

He was a native of Stagy ra, a town of Thrace, on 
the borders of the bay of Strymon. Hence he 2s fre- 
quently called the Stagrite. He was tutor to Alexan- 
der the great, father of logic, inventor of the categories, 
and syllogisms, and founder of the Peripatetic school, 
so called from his walking about when he instructed his 
pupils ; he taught in the Lyceum, a grove in the suburbs 
of Athens. Plato early discovered the acuteness of his 
genius and penetrating abilities : he called him the mind 
of his school ; and used to say when he was absent, 
" that intellect is not here," intimating the high opinion 
which he entertained of his strong intellectual powers. 
And Philip, king of Macedon, hearing of his great lite- 
rary reputation, wrote him the following letter when he 
appointed him preceptor to his son : — 

PHILIP TO ARISTOTLE. 

" Be informed that I have a son, and that I am thank- 
ful to the gods, not so much for his birth, as that he was 
born in the same age with you ; for if you will undertake 
the charge of his education, I assure myself that he will 
become worthy of his father and of the kingdom which 
he is to inherit." 

And Alexander afterwards entertained such strong 
affection for him and felt such warmth of gratitude for 
the many advantages which he derived from so good a 
preceptor " that he professed himself more indebted to 
him than to his own father," declaring that Philip had 
only given him life, but Aristotle had taught him the art 
of living well. Nay, what more striking instance can 
we produce of the lively interest which Aristotle felt for 
the true dignity, honour and piety of his pupil, than this 



( 16 ) 

memorable admonition with which he closes one of hi^ 
epistics " reminding him amidst his unexampled triumphs 
and unbounded conquests, that those who entertain 
just sentiments of the deity are better entitled to be high 
minded, than those who subdue kingdoms. 7 ' 

We proceed now to the consideration oi a sect of phi- 
losophers, who derived their reputation more ironi the 
rigid austerity of their manners than from the depth of 
their erudition or the extent of their learning. The 
Athenians at this time were much degenerated from the 
simplicity of their fore-fathers. They were involved in a 
vortex of luxury andpleasure. External parade and vanity, 
pomp and show and the gilded ornaments of the world, 
supplied the place of inward purity of mind and the 
severe moral virtues : hence arose the sect of the Cynics, 
who by a rigid attention to plainness and even vulgarity 
of attire, attempted to counteract the vices of extrava- 
gance and unbounded excess, which were then over- 
flowing with the rapidity of a torrent, all ranks and de- 
grees of society. 

This sect was so denominated, either from their snar* 
ling morose manners, which resembled the grinning of 
a dog ; or from the temple of the white dog, Cynosar- 
gum, as it was called, near Athens, where Antisthenes 
opened his school and became the founder of the sect. 
His immediate follower Diogenes was still more austere 
in his demeanour and ridiculous in his apparel. He appear- 
ed in public in a coarse garb, carrying a wallet in one 
hand and staff in the other, as emblems of his rusticity 
and beggary : he possessed however, a noble indepen- 
dence of mind and stern republican virtue ; he renounced 
every object of ambition and pleasure, and looked down 
with a sovereign contempt upon riches, honours and 



( 17 ) 

Worldly grandeur ; he lived in a tub as his habitation, and 
wore the coarsest cloak as his ornament ; but his soul 
was lofty, incorruptible and virtuous* Even Alexander 
the great admired his magnanimity, and declared, " If 
he was not the conqueror of the world, he would be 
Diogenes the Cynic. 5 ' Many anecdotes are related of him, 
highly illustrative of his honourable, his indignant inde- 
pendence. Being asked by Craterus to come and live 
with him, No, said he, "I had rather lick salt at Athens 
than dine with Craterus." How happy, said one, is 
Calisthenes, that he lives with Alexander and participates 
in the enjoyments of his sumptuous table. No, said 
Diogenes, "he is not happy, for he must dine and sup 
when Alexander pleases. ' ' Would you be avenged upon 
your enemy, said Diogenes, " be virtuous ihat he may 
have nothing to say against you." 

By such ruggedness of manners and sterling indepen- 
dence of mind, did this haughty philosopher recommend 
and enforce the practice of virtue. A character of such 
high toned sentiments, grounded upon principles so ap- 
parently vulgar and groveling, may shock the delicacy 
of modern refinement, but in the just estimation of the 
virtuous mind, it ranks upon a proud pre-eminence that 
will attract the notice and secure the veneration of ages. 

From this sect arose another of rather more gen- 
tleness, but not more relaxed habits of morality. This 
was the stoic sect, so called from the Greek word crox, 
which signifies the porch. Its founder was Zeno ; and 
though born in Cyprus, the residence of luxury, yet 
he cultivated and pr-.ctised the most inflexible virtue. 
It appears from his character, that he taught a strict sys- 
tem of morals and exhibited a true picture of correct 
C 



( 18 ) 

morality in his own life. The stoical wise man, contained 
in his character an assemblage of all the virtues, and 
though an imaginary representation of the fancy, yet it 
exhibited in complete form the lines of moral perfection* 
As for the different sects which sprang from the Pytha- 
gorean school, time will not permit me to enlarge upon 
their history ; the most distinguished of which were the 
Epicureans and Sceptics ; nor in an address of this kind, 
is it necessary to do more than point out the discriminat- 
ing features of their principles and tenets. Pythagoras 
himself, taught the doctrine of the transmigration of 
souls. Epicurus recommended pleasure as the chief 
good of man, and Phyrrho maintained, that we ought to 
doubt of every thing, and that there was no certainty in 
human knowledge. These sects acquired celebrity in 
their day, and had their adherents and admirers, but as 
their principles are of a pernicious tendency, and calcu- 
lated rather to weaken than strengthen the foundation of 
morals, we shall pass them over with the mingled feel- 
ings of admiration and compassion. What is remarka- 
ble in the discipline of Pythagoras, was the silence which 
he successfully enjoined upon his pupils; so that for the 
space of two years and upwards, he prohibited them 
from speaking in his school— what a noble legacy would 
he have left posterity, if he had bequeathed to all suc- 
ceeding preceptors, the method which he adopted in 
accomplishing so desirable an end ! But such restraint 
has hitherto proved ineffectual. Prating, vociferation 
and loquacity still reign predominant. The iVaxwr^oW*, 
still fly with the rapidity of lightning, ungovernable by 
scourge, ferula or preceptorial frowns of authority. 



i 19 ) 

Subsequent to this period, if we trace the progress of 
philosophy and science, we will find them raising their 
heads in Egypt ; they seemed to have accompanied the 
triumphant arms of that daring conqueror who subdued 
the world, and at length, to have taken up their residence 
in Alexandria. This city was founded by Alexander 
the great, which he designed as an emporium of com- 
merce, the theatre of the arts, and the palladium of letters, 
as well as of arms. Under the Ptolemies, the schools 
of Athens were removed to Alexandria, and there almost 
every Grecian sect found an advocate and a professor. 
The Alexandrian library, afterwards so famous, was 
founded by Ptolemy Lagus, enlarged by his successor 
and enriched with a vast collection of books ; at last k 
was encreased to the amazing number of 800,000 vo- 
lumes. Even a college of learned men was founded in 
that city, who, that they might have time and leisure to 
prosecute their studies, received an ample support at the 
public expense. This is the first regular collegiate 
establishment we read of in history. Thus, learning by 
degrees travelled from Egypt to Greece, and from Greece 
to Egypt, and reverberated its resplendent beams, like 
the corruscations of the Aurora Borea is, alternately be- 
tween both countries. At length, however, it was either 
wafted to Rome on the wings of the victorious Roman 
eagle, or imbibed by the Roman youth in the schools of 
Athens, and thence transported to the shores of Italy. 
Hence the literary splendor of the porch, the lyceum, 
and the academy spread its light as far as the bounds of 
the Alps, and found a welcome asylu m within the walls, 
of imperial Rome. 



( 20 ) 

What illustrious examples of polite literature, of ex- 
alted genius, of splendid talents does each country ex- 
hibit ! In history, who ranks higher than Herodotus and 
Thucydides, Livy and Sallust, Plutarch and Tacitus ? 
In Tragic composition, who excels the elegance and 
energy of Euripides and Sophocles ? In poetry, who 
soars higher than Homer, Pindar and Virgil? In oratory, 
where can we find the resistless powers, the all subduing 
force, the overwhelming torrent which bears all before it 
in the speeches of Demosthenes, Pericles, Hortensius 
and Cicero ? In them indeed it may be truly said, that 
nature has concentrated all the thunders of her eloquence. 
In criticism, Horace, Quintilian, Dionysius Haiicarnas- 
sus and Longinus stand unrivalled. And perhaps in 
no age, as legislators, have Lycurgus, Solon and Numa 
been surpassed. Yet, what are all these mighty geniuses, 
these luminaries which shone in their own sphere and in 
their own day, with a momentary blaze of fame and 
glory ? What are their highest pretensions but vanity, 
their most splendid honors, but as meteors of the night; 
if we compare them with the highest orb of all; and draw 
a comparison between the christian system of divine truth 
and the correctest systems of Heathen morality ; between 
the immortal splendor of the gospel and the brightest 
displays of frail mortality ? 

Here let us pause, reflect and adore! Here let us 
raise our eyes to the Heavens and be thankful ! 

When the earth was overwhelmed with waves of 
darkness, and bound in chains of superstition and vice, 
when the nations groaned under the pressure of guilt, 
misery and suffering, when there was no eye to pity, 
no hand to help, no mercy to shield or save, he, who 



( 21 ) 

was the brightness of the Father's glory and the express 
image of his person, descended from a cloud with the 
voice of reconciliation, he opened the gates of Heaven 
to repenting sinners, he burst the prison doors of the 
grave and ci brought life and immortality to light." 

Hail holy light ! " offspring of Heaven, first born. 
Hail, thou universal Lord ! be bounteous still, and give 
us only good." " Glory to God in the highest, on earth 
peace and good will towards men." 

Here is a teacher of righteousness, who taught as 
never man taught, and spoke as never man spake, and 
before whom all other teachers sink into insignificance. 
Here is a messenger of peace, of truth, of love, enriched 
with every grace, surrounded with every virtue, and car- 
rying the blessings of every mercy as satellites in the or- 
bit of his glory. Here, the sun of righteousness beams 
forth in the effulgence of his majesty. He extinguishes 
all subordinate luminaries by the brightness of his ri- 
sing, and pours a flood of light and of life over the dus- 
ty eye of night and of death. And if Anaxagoras of 
old, desired his pupils to look to the heavens as their 
country ; and if for this, he was honoured with a tomb 
and a monument to perpetuate his memory and his 
fame, on which was inscribed this epitaph. 

^ "Ey&zos to nXeitTTav ocXviveioco- sire! rsppx mpycnzs 
Hfctvls Koa^s Ksirxi Ava|a<yopatf." 

If altars, I say, were raised in honour of him, a mortal 
like ourselves, the one dedicated to truth and the other 
to mind ; what everlasting monuments of fame and 
glory, of gratitude and love, should be engraven upon 
the hearts of the whole human race, for those unparal- 
Jelled blessings which were ushered into the world, by 



( 22 ) 

the doctrines, the life and death of the son of God ! He 
only is the way, the truth and the life. Abandon all 
other teachers and philosophers therefore, and follow 
him. 

But here alas ! we must reverse the scene and view 
horrors upon horrors, that are calculated to rend the 
heart with pity and indignation. We must contemplate 
the devastation of nations, the destruction of the arts, 
the decay of falling monuments, the banishment of ci- 
vilization and taste, the carnage and cruelty of man- 
kind, and the introduction of barbarity in all its furious 
and ferocious consequences. The soul shudders at 
the thought of such a picture, and is shocked at the dis- 
torted and mangled spectacles of calamity, ruin and de- 
solation therein exhibited. 

In the Roman empire under Augustus, though its arti- 
ficial form continued and its nominal officers were still 
employed to move the springs of government, yet real 
liberty was driven from the state, and despotism had 
planted its iron roots in that soil which was once the 
nurse of the most exalted virtues, of sublime genius and 
unrivalled heroism. The energies of the people were 
gradually enervated. The public mind was debased in- 
to groveling sentiments, and luxury in streams of cor- 
ruption, spread over the land. Genuine freedom thus 
bleeding in every pore, lay prostrate on the ground and 
was overwhelmed in a torrent of vice and profligacy. 
Hence, that great empire, whose very name had struck 
terror into the surrounding nations, and waved the ban- 
ners of conquest nearly over the whole known world, at 
length, sunk under its own unwieldly mass, became a 
prey to hosts of barbarous tribes, and bv a series of 



( 23 ) 

tremendous shocks, was hurled into irrecoverable ruin. 

The Saracens in Egypt, the Vandals in Spain, the 

Gauls, Huns, Franks and Goths in France and Italy, 

having broken loose fromthe northern hives, swept all 

before them with pestilential destruction. This is 

beautifully and eloquently expressed by the Poet. 

" As oft have issued host impelling host, 
The blue-eyed myriads from the Baltic coast ; 
The pr strate south to the destroyer yields, 
Her boasted titles and her golden fields.' 7 

About the beginning of the fourth century, Alaric en- 
tered the imperial city with rapacious fury amidst the 
silence of the night. In the awful gloom of this horrid 
catastrophe, he directed his march by the conflagration 
of temples and palaces. The slaughter was dreadful, and 
after glutting his vengeance upon the once illustrious, 
but now defenceless inhabitants, the sons and daughters 
of consuls, patricians, and venerable senators, were 
doomed to be dragged in chains by this triumphant con- 
queror, at his chariot wheels. Thus this imperious sav- 
age, this victorious despot displayed his bloody banners 
over the prostrate eagle of ancient Rome. From this 
period a night of total darkness ensued, during which, 
until nearly the commencement of the 8th century, 
scarcely a glimmering light of literature appeared to 
shew, like darkness visible, by its dying struggles, the 
horrid and ghastly state to which learning was reduced 
by the cruelty and carnage of the times. After the ca- 
lamities to which literature was exposed in the destruc 
tion of books and libraries by the violence of savage 
barbarity : the first restorers of letters seem to have 
been the Arabians and Saracens. In the beginning of 
the 8th century, this wonderful people equally famous 



( 24 ) 

for their conquests and their love of learning, overran 
the Asiatic provinces. In the rapid career of their pro- 
gress, they found many Greek books, particularly Aris- 
totle's works, which they translated into their native lan- 
guage, and thereby preserved the light of science from 
being totally extinguished. Impelled by the love of 
conquest they extended their victorious arms into Africa, 
Europe, Spain and Italy, and carried along with them, 
their literary genius and taste. Suspended at times in 
their military operations, their literary acquirements diffu- 
sed themselves in all directions, their active and energetic 
minds ceased not to cultivate letters, when they rested 
upon their arms ; hence they laid the foundations of 
schools, academies and colleges. Thus, amidst the 
rugged rage of war, at intervals they introduced the 
cultivation of learning, the softer influence of civiliza- 
tion and refinement, and brighter prospects of science 
and knowledge. And though they studied the composi- 
tion of Aristotle, Galen, Democritus, more than of 
Homer, Pindar, or Virgil, yet they did not wholly aban- 
don the temple of the muses. Mathematics, astronomy, 
metaphysics and logic, together with medicine and 
chymistry, were the branches of learning, which arrest- 
ed their attention. The flights of poetic fancy, were too 
exalted for their ferocious habits. This progress, how- 
ever, is perfectly natural, in the regular order of the hu- 
man mind, in the acquisitions of knowledge ; as the 
intricate and abstruser researches of philosophy com- 
monly precede the elegant refinements of polite litera- 
ture. Owing to this extraordinary people, the first 
schools were established in Italy, from which the wes- 
tern parts of Europe were enlightened with science* at 



( 25 ) 

the commencement of the 8th century, the most famous 
of these, was Padua. And though, it was principally 
a school of medicine, yet we may justly say, that there 
was laid the ground work, which afterwards gave rise to 
academical institutions and collegiate honours. To this 
one, at no distant period, succeeded Bologna, Paris and 
Oxford. The origin of Paris and Oxford may be 
traced back to the 9th century, but Bologna lays claim 
to a much earlier date. Alfred the great of England, 
and Charlemagne emperor of Germany, who then flou- 
rished in their glory, may be considered as the earliest 
luminaries of the modern world ; they encouraged learn- 
ing both by their example and patronage, and their 
names at present, justly stand high in the temple of 
fame. Alfred founded the college of Oxford about the 
9th century, and Charlemagne by his great power and 
influence, became the distinguished patron of many 
schools and colleges, both in Germany and France, 
about the same period. To every person who reflects 
with any degree of attention upon the progress of litera- 
ture, it must appear obvious, that the establishment of 
colleges and universities forms a striking asra in the his- 
tory of science. During the dark ages, when priestly 
domination prevailed, schools and academies were con- 
fined to the monasteries and cathedrals, and were limited 
to the instruction of youth in the elements of grammar, 
in connection with the monastic ceremonies. Learning 
w T as thus made subservient to the ambition of the 
church, and from its infancy was made to lisp the lan- 
guage of adulation, servility and priestcraft. But in 
consequence of the foundation of collegiate institutions, 

the human mind became gradually unshackled, it burst 
D 



(26 ) 

the chains of superstition and prejudice, and ascended 
to an eminence, where it could display its native ener- 
gies. In reality, it bounded beyond the bondage of 
ecclesiastical tyranny and stood erect upon the solid 
pillars of manly independence. In these seminaries 
numerous professors were appointed, lectures were de- 
livered upon the different branches of science, the 
time of instruction was ascertained and fixed. The 
proficiency of the students was encouraged by suitable 
marks of approbation, and to crown their exertions 
and merits with the highest applause, degrees and 
collegiate honours were granted according to their 
comparative scale of improvement. Hence the origin 
of Bachelors' degrees, Masters' degrees, and Doc- 
tors' degrees. These honours were conferred, either 
according to the time the youth prosecuted their stu- 
dies, or the degree of progress which they had made 
in the extended circle of the arts and sciences. 

A college, strictly speaking, is an assemblage of se- 
veral bodies or societies, cr sevtral persons in one 
society. Colleges, among the Romans, embraced in- 
differently those concerned in the offices of religion, 
and of the liberal and mechanical arts. Hence under 
the Roman empire, there were not only colleges of au- 
gurs and religious ceremonies, but of the useful trades. 
However, in the sense, in which this phrase is taken 
in modern times, it may be used for a public place, 
endowed with certain revenues and privileges, in which 
the several parts of learning are taught, and where a 
certain number of professors are engaged for the in- 
struction of youth, in the different branches of polite 
literature. An assemblage of several of these colleges 
constitutes what is called a university. 



( 27) 

The different honours conferred in these seats of 
learning, were designated by different names. Bache- 
lors in the university sense, are those persons who have 
attained to the Baccalaureate, or who have taken the 
first degree in the arts and sciences. It seems to have 
been a term borrowed from the custom of the feudal 
system, and applied either to those enterprizing adven- 
turers, who had attained to the honourable rank of knight- 
hood, but had not a sufficient number of vassals to carry 
their banner before them in the field of battle ; or it was 
a title given to young cavaliers, who, having made their 
first campaign, received the reward of the military gir- 
dle, or perhaps, it served to denominate him, who had 
overcome his antagonist, the first time he had engaged 
in a tilt or tournament. But in a literary sense, I rather 
incline to adopt the etymology of Martinus, who de- 
rives the word from Baccalaureate, i. e. " Baccalaurea 
donatus." In allusion to the custom of crowning po- 
ets with laurel, as was the case with Petrarch at Rome, 
An. Dom. 134 L — Vid. Encyc. 

Master of Arts again, is a higher degree than the 
former ; as it required a longer period of study and a 
more advanced degree of proficiency in the arts and 
sciences. The period of attendance upon a college or 
university, as a qualification for this honour, varied ac- 
cording to the particular ordinances and immunities of 
each university. Hence, some colleges require three 
years, some four, some five or even six years prepara- 
tion, for this honourable distinction. 

A Doctor's degree again, appears to be the highest 
honour of all. This honour implied that the graduate, 
was not only entitled to such rank by his merits and lite- 
rary acquirements, but that he was qualified for teachin 



(28 ) 

others, any branch of the arts and sciences in which he 
had acquired so great celebrity. The term Doctor m its 
original signification, has this import — This high hon- 
orary distinction, is or ought to be conferred only on 
such literary characters as have, either made a splendid 
figure in the sciences, or been the authors of some im- 
portant discoveries which will exalt and perpetuate 
their fame in the learned world. Without this it is an 
empty title, a badge of disgrace, a fool's cap, instead 
of an ornament of wisdom. What Heumannus says of 
the Italian universities, may with great justice be applied 
to such persons as are dubbed doctors, without learn- 
ing. " Plures igitur doctores habet Italia quam doc- 
tos, et inania honoris insignia preferuntur, eruditioni so? 
lidcp." 

According to Doctor Robertson, it is sufficient to 
demonstrate the high degree of estimation, in which 
doctors in the different faculties were held, that they 
contended with knights for precedence. And the dis- 
pute, says he, was terminated in many instances, by 
advancing the doctors to the dignity of knighthood. 
Hence the origin of the phrases "Milites clerici, Mi- 
lites literati. 3 ' Canonical soldiers, or clerical knights, 
as the terms signify. 

This view of the subject however proves, that these 
new establishments for education, together with the ex- 
traordinary honours conferred upon learned men, whilst 
they raised the profession of literature, even in the 
middle ages, to an equal rank with that of the military 
profession, contributed also to encrease the number of 
students in the universities, and revive the study of the 
_arts and sciences. 






( 29 ) 

It appears from the following historical facts, how 
amazingly rapid the number of students was multiplied 
in the different collegiate seminaries, almost indeed, to 
such a degree, as to exceed the bounds of credibility. 
In the year 1262, there were 10,000 students in the 
university of Bologna. In the year 1340, there were 
30,000 in the university of Oxford, and in the same 
century, no less than 10,000 graduates voted upon an 
important question in the university of Paris ; from 
which fact, the whole number of students in that res- 
pectable seminary must have been immense. — Vid. 
Robertson's Char. 5th. 

Having thus brought down the subject to this re- 
markable aera in the history of learning, when it was 
raised to so distinguished a rank and high estimation. 
Let us now endeavour briefly to trace, the causes that 
may be assigned for its revival and increase in subse- 
quent periods of society in Europe ; as necessarily con- 
nected with the origin and progress of literature, and 
the establishment of colleges in the United States. 

1st. The finding of a copy of the Pandects of Justi- 
nian at Amalphi, A. D. 1137, had its effect upon the 
progress of learning. This fortunate event contribu- 
ted to spread the study and knowledge of the civil law 
over Europe with amazing rapidity. It roused a spi- 
rit of enquiry into the foundations of that important and 
interesting science, and unfolded the soundest princi- 
ples of equity and jurisprudence. Hence, a college for 
the exposition of the civil law, was opened at Bologna, 
a few years afterwards ; and lectures were delivered 
upon the same subject at Oxford, as early as the year 
1147, 



( 30) 

Before this period, judges were left without any 
fixed guide to direct their legal enquiries, they 
wandered over the crooked paths of loose, traditionary 
customs, fluctuating as a ship at sea, without rudder, 
ballast or compass. But by having a written code of 
law, in consequence of this happy discovery, to en- 
large their views, and direct their decisions upon cases 
that involved the dearest rights and liberties of the 
people, their minds were restrained to an unalterable 
principle of rectitude, and enlightened by a more accu- 
rate knowledge of this noble science. Hence the de- 
cisions of the courts of law were fair and equitable., 
the profession itself, assumed a higher rank in the es- 
timation of society, and justice flowed as a mighty 
stream, deep, clear and unpolluted. 

2dly. The crusades may be considered as another 
cause of the revival and progress of learning. This 
wonderful event, tended to intermingle the customs 
and manners of the Western and Eastern parts of the 
world. It operated upon the human mir.d, with a re- 
ligious phrenzy, and roused it from its lethargy. The 
knowledge and improvements of one country were com- 
municated to another. A spirit of energy and emulation 
was excited by comparing them together. A succes- 
sion of causes and effects was introduced, which con- 
tributed to abolish ignorance and anarchy. Thus 
commerce and the arts, science and refinement, civili- 
zation, and order sprang from the collision of martial 
violence with superstitious and vehement enthusiasm. 
The magnificence and splendor of Constantinople 
alone, whilst they captivated these fanatic invaders with 
admiration, naturally tended to awaken their ingenuity 



(31 ) 

as well as curiosity, and to excite an ardent passion of 
imitating what they beheld with so much astonishment 
and delight. Such grand and novel scenes presented 
before them, in the career of their conquests, opened 
their eyes gradually to a more extensive knowledge of 
the world. The horizon of their knowledge was en- 
larged as they travelled from country to country ; they 
acquired new modes of thinking, as they mixed with 
more enlightened and polished nations than themselves, 
they felt a sense of new wants, new enterprizes, new 
energies, and the sources of their information were 
extended whilst their taste and manners were cultiva- 
ted and refined. So that from the aera of the crusades, 
at the commencement of the 11th century, may be 
traced the diffusion of several kinds of knowledge, both 
useful and ornamental. 

3dly. Another cause which contributed to revive 
and accelerate the progress of learning, was chivalry. 
This remarkable institution, which seems to have 
equally cherished the love of the fair sex, of religion 
and of heroism, was, in a great measure the offspring of 
the crusades. The spirit of enthusiasm and of fanatic- 
ism, which fired the nations of the earth and inflamed 
them with an impetuosity, bordering on madness, to 
rescue the holy land from the grasp of the infidels, 
led them with a continued ardour, to embark in the 
honour of the ladies, to espouse the cause of the unfor- 
tunate, and to sympathize in the sufferings of distress. 
From deeds of arms, which swelled the youthful breast , 
with high sentiments of valour and renown, the un- 
daunted soul of the enterprizing hero, was softened 
into tenderness and melted into pity and love ; to these 



C 32 ) 

two passions, so congenial in their nature, was added 
the power of a supernatural influence, to augment the 
warmth of natural feelings. Religion consecrated his af- 
fections, and the native passions of his soul reverberated 
the holy strains of such ardent enthusiasm. The point of 
honour and gallantry seemed kindled from the altar of 
God, and the heroic knight was at once enraptured with 
the charms or beauty, inspired by a divine impulse, and 
exalted to deeds of immortal enterprize. How won- 
derful the change ! Hermits rnd Pilgrims were turned 
into knights and heroes, the land of Palestine became the 
nurse of military achievement, and the most enthusias- 
tic fanatic was converted into the intrepid champion and 
the impetuous lover. From this system, so honourable 
and extraordinary, the passion for war was tempered by 
courtesy, the prize of contending champions was ad- 
judged by the ladies, and the manners of those valorous 
knights, who fought for the smiles of female beauty i 
were softened into humanity. Hence, " not only the 
splendour of birth, but the magnificent castle sor'round- 
ed With embattled walls and massy towers, and crowned 
with lofty pinnacles, served to elevate the imagination 
of the romantic hero, and to create an attachment to 
some illustrious heiress, whose highest honour it was 
to be chaste and inaccessible," at once the fair object 
of his admiration, his love and his military prowess. 

In the character of the true knight in the golden days 
of chivalry, we behold an assemblage of all the virtues. 
4 £ His air was noble, his deportment manly, and his 
manners condescending ; his promise was inviolable, his 
words sacred, and he chastised that falsehood in others 
which was the object of his abhorrence." The professi- 



( 33 ) 

6ns of his attachment were firm and sincere, and all his 
actions were dictated by courage, guided by honour, and 
they terminated in virtue. In a word, to the protection 
of innocence, to the relief of oppression,, he dedicated 
his sword and his life. Thus a great change of man- 
ners was gradually effected, the rude origin of heroic 
gallantry was mellowed by gentle refinements, and 
the higher ornaments of the understanding, were com- 
bined with the delicate feelings and delightful sensibil- 
ities of the heart. A desire of pleasing by an insinua- 
ting sweetness of address, was introduced. And a 
conspicuous place was given to the female sex in the 
ranks of society. The passion of love was purified by de- 
licacy, heightened by sentiment and exalted by every 
noble and manly virtue. Hence learning and taste w r ere 
cultivated, the pleasures of conversation became more 
refined and instructive, and the circles of the ladies were 
irradiated with the lustre of science, in addition to the 
charms of beauty and loveliness. 

4thly. Another cause which contributed to the diffu- 
sion of knowledge and the revival of science, was the 
invention of the mariner's compass. This took place 
about the beginning of the 13th century; though the 
Chinese lay claim to it at a much earlier date. 

By this important event, the bounds of navigation 
were extended, new regions were explored, new is- 
lands and new continents discovered, and the inter- 
course of man with man, was carried over the tractless 
ocean to the remotest climates and countries of the 
world. Not long after this period, in 1492, this 
great continent, the present residence of true liberty, 

peace and independence, was beheld by the piercing and 
E 



( 34 ) 

nautical eye of Columbus; he encountered the perils 
of the mighty deep, together with storms, tempests 
and mutinies ; and after braving every danger of ele- 
ment, climate and weather, with a magnanimous and 
undaunted mind, at length, arrived at a port of safety. 
The consequence of this discovery on this vast extended 
continent and ultimately redounding to the happiness of 
the world, we trace every day flourishing before our 
eyes — these consequences are exemplified in a striking 
manner, in the cause of freedom and learning, in the 
establishment of seminaries of education, in the propa- 
gation of science and knowledge from east to west, and 
in the liberal encouragement given to men of genius and 
literature, to induce them to devote their time and their 
talents, to the cultivation of the human mind. Had it 
not been for the discovery of America, who can des- 
cribe the calamities and distress to which the persecu- 
ted exiles of Europe would have been subject, in the 
diabolical bastiles of horror and oppression ? But a 
benevolent providence, hath opened a blessed asylum 
and security in this happy land, where the sufferings of 
republican virtue are consoled and relieved, and the no- 
blest efforts of republican genius and industry, are 
honoured and rewarded. 

5thly. The inventions of the modern method of ma- 
king paper and the art of printing, have had considera- 
ble influence in the extension of knowledge and the 
revival of letters. 

In the 1 1th century the manner of making paper, now 
universal, was invented, and it was followed shortly after 
by the art of printing, both of which important inven- 
tions contributed greatly to increase the number of 



( 35 ) 

manuscripts and books, to give permanent duration 
to their existence, and to usher in by a general dif- 
fusion of knowledge, the illustrious sera of the reformat 
tion. To any one acquainted with the history of the 
middle ages, it is a striking fact, that the scarcity of 
books was a general complaint ; the destruction of the 
Alexandrian library, by which seven hundred thousand 
volumes were consumed in the flames, and the horrid 
devastions committed by the inroads of barbarous na- 
tions, which, in their progress, ruin and dismay, spared 
neither the monuments of the arts, the residence of the 
sciences, nor even the existence of human life, gave a 
finishing catastrophe to the cause of literature, and in- 
gulphed by a chaotic convulsion, in a vortex of the mos^ 
barbarous ignorance, tlie most celebrated productions 
of antiquity. In these horrid disasters, the most valu- 
able books and manuscripts perished, and the materials 
of their composition could with great difficulty, be ob- 
tained. The Romans wrote their books on waxen ta- 
bles, or parchment, or the Egyptian papyrus, but ow- 
ing to the turbulent state of the times, and the rage of 
military despotism, the intercourse of nations was stop- 
ped, the papyrus was not to be procured, and parch- 
ment was so scarce, that writers were obliged to erase 
one species of composition and substitute another in its 
place. It is a remarkable circumstance, which proves 
the deplorable scarcity of books at this period, "that 
Lupus Abbot of Feniers wrote to the Pope, An. Dom. 
835, beseeching him to send him a copy of Cicero de 
oratore and Quintilian's Institutes:" For says he, 
" though we have parts of these books, we have no com- 
plete copy of them in all France." And such indeed t 



( 36 ) 

was the high value of books in those days, that any 
person who was so bountiful as to make a present of one 
to a church or monastery, it was deemed a donation, 
"pro remidio aminae suae" in order to gain the for- 
giveness oi his sins, perhaps the salvation of his soul. 
The ignorance of all descriptions of people, as well 
clergy as laiety, was equally striking and universal at 
this time. It is a notorious fact, that many dignified 
ecclesiastics could not subscribe the canons of the coun- 
cils, in which they sat as members. And one of the 
questions put to the candidates for orders, was, " whether 
he could read the Gospels and Epistles correctly ? ' ' Air 
fred the great too, bitterly complained, " that there was 
not a priest from the H umber to the Thames, who could 
read the Liturgy in his mother's tongue. " But we read 
of no complaints of any ecclesiastic, being too scru- 
pulous to receive the emoluments of his office or of re- 
fusing the fleece for the sake of the flock. Oh ! no, no 
such thing. For, a celebrated historian of the dark ages, 
says, when speaking of the perverted taste and excesses 
of the clergy ; " Potius dediti gula& quam glossy, po- 
tius colligunt libras quam legunt libros, libentius intu- 
entur Martham quam Marcum." "They were rather 
devoted to the gratification of the appetite than the in- 
terpretation of the scripture, they rather collect pounds 
than read books, they look more intensely upon Martha 
than upon Mark." Holy Fathers, chaste and modest 
priests, pure, simple and temperate christians, who pre- 
ferred to lay up bags upon earth, rather than in Heaven! 
The Gospel no doubt flourished in thy hands, worthy 
pastors of the Christian flock ! ! Leo, the 10th indeed, 
was a singular exception to these remarks, for he was 



( 37 ) 

distinguished for his munificence and generosity in the 
cause of literature. Nay, while he poured out the 
Anathemas of his wrath and the fulminations of his ven- 
geance, against the new doctrines of Luther, he pub- 
lished a bull of excommunication against all such per- 
sons, as should,dare to censure the poems of Ariosto, 
and during his pontificate the church of a monastery was 
rebuilt, because it had a manuscript of Tacitus buried 
in its ruins. How happy and rare a circumstance is it, 
to meet with a character at the head of a church, in 
which were united so much genius, religion and literary 
taste ! While his holiness laboured to pull down Luther, 
he erected a church ; and whilst he prohibited the scrip- 
tures from being soiled by the hands of the laiety, he 
encouraged the reading of Tacitus. However, by the 
invention of making paper and the art of printing, a new 
sera commenced, more auspicious for literature. These 
causes operated successfully in the increase of literary 
productions, they promoted a spirit of reading and in- 
quiry, and by multiplying the number and diminishing 
the price of books, extended the circle of the sciences 
and were ultimately the means of laying the foundation 
of schools, libraries and colleges. Hence poverty it- 
self may be considered as instrumental in the revival of 
learning ; because the tattered coverlet, that composes 
the beggar's garment, forms the materials of the manu 
facture of paper, which has contributed so much to the 
increase of books, to the preservation of science and 
the extension of learning and knowledge. 

But the invention of printing is the most important 
of all other fortunate events, in the accomplishment of 
this great object. This, in a manner, renders the pro- 



( 38 ) 

pagation of knowledge, as rapid and resistless as humaij 
thought. By this discovery, additional incitement is 
given to stimulate the reasoning powers of man, motives 
to literary fame are placed within our reach, and the ve- 
locity and facility of the conveyance of useful informa- 
tion are proportioned tothe wide range of human know- 
e dge. The Press is the expression of the public senti- 
ment, as well as of our private opinions. It is the ve- 
hicle of our noblest feelings and the security of civil 
and religious liberty. Let the press be free, and the 
light and fire of genius can never be extinguished. Li- 
berty and learning can never die. Despotism with its 
thousand tortures, trembles in its presence, and the 
hydra of superstition and ignorance falls enfeebled before 
it. The exalted spirit of man hails its auspicious arrival, 
and all the powers and energies of the soul, accelerate 
its velocity. Like Virgil's natural and striking, simple 
and sublime description of fame, it flourishes by its own 
vigour, and acquires strength by the momentum of its 
own rapidity. " Mobilitate viget, viresque acquirit 
eundo." 

In the year 1450, the first Latin Bible was printed ; 
and John Faust has the honour of being the first printer 
of the holy scriptures. He is reported to have carried 
a number of his bibles to Paris, and when he exhibited 
them for sale as manuscripts, they w r ere so exactly alike, 
without the smallest variation of a letter or stop, that 
they concluded he must have had dealings with some 
evil spirit. Hence arose the marvellous stories of the 
Devil and Doctor Faustus. 

From this grand invention, so like a miracle, many 
useful consequences were derived. The means of in- 



( 39 ) 

^ruction were more easily obtained and more extensively 
circulated. Books were soon multiplied on every sub- 
ject. The clergy became alarmed, the laiety became 
enlightened, and the truths of science and philosophy 
spread beyond the precincts of the monasteries. Man 
once more stood erect in the image of his maker, and 
his soul beamed with intelligence. 

6thly. Shortly after this period the dawn of the refor- 
mation commenced, the rights of conscience were vin- 
dicated; the chains of superstition were struck off, clouds 
of ignorance were dispersed, the progress of light was 
accelerated, and the cause of truth was established upon 
a basis durable and lasting as the rock of ages. By this 
auspicious event, the human mind was disinthralled, the 
thunders of the Vatican were silenced, truth arose in 
glory, as if from a furnace ofaffliction,andthe scriptures 
became triumphant. Then the pure light of revelation 
beamed on the soul of man, the tyranny of the church 
of Rome was shaken to its centre, and that iron sceptre 
of pride and priestcraft, under whose yoke, all Europe 
had groaned for ages and was bowed to the dust, was 
shivered into fragments. The reformation that com- 
menced in the 16th century, accomplished all this ; and 
the truths of the gospel, the powers of reason and the 
illuminations of science, ascended from a long night of 
ignorance and barbariry, to the dawning of a splendid 
day. 

In this glorious cause, the indefatigable labours, the 
ardent spirit and the profound researches of Martin Lu- 
ther, Melancthon and Erasmus, will be held in venera- 
tion as long as the world endures. To call such men 
ruffians, as has been lately done, is the venom and invec- 



( 40 ) 

five of the basest slander. By their extraordinary exei^ 
tions in union with many other learned men, the spell of 
ecclesiastical tyranny was broken, the principles of 
science and religion were deeply examined, and the de- 
lusive pretensions of imposing creeds and corrupt sys- 
tems of human authority in matters of faith, were probed 
to the bottom. Hence the human mind, thus rescued 
from the fetters of prejudice and superstition, boldly 
advanced in the cause and defence of truth by reason 
and argument. To expect uniformity of opinion 
when the objects of inquiry are so multifarious, is ab- 
surd, it is contrary to reason and common sense. 
Procrustes' bed, is long since exploded, and I trust 
such torture never will return, either to stretch or con- 
fine the manly efforts of the aspiring and independent 
soul. " He that will not reason, says the philosophi- 
cal Drummond, is a bigot, he that cannot reason is a 
fool, and he that dares not reason is a slave. 57 
Hence the mists of error and corruption fly before the 
powers of reason, and the paths of knowledge are pur- 
sued, illuminated with lamps of unsullied brightness. 
Thus the revival of learning, the reformation of reli- 
gion, and the enlargement of philosophy, went hand in 
hand together ; like children of the same parent, their 
bosoms are united by kindred affection, their interests 
are the same, their honours are the same, and their hopes 
and triumphs are the same. Nay, the highest endow* 
ments of intellect, cleared the way, ajpd guarded the 
ground, for their victorious advancement to glory and 
success. 

From these principles, it may be justly asserted, 
that from the commencement of the 16th century, 



( 41 ) 

more hath been done to promote the progress of know- 
ledge and extend the bounds of science, than was ever 
accomplished in all ages of the world before. In con- 
sequence of such discoveries, may humanity and tole- 
ration, as well as knowledge and truth, overspread the 
land, and may our hearts expand with gratitude to 
heaven for such blessings ! 

Let it not be supposed or imagined, that it is intend- 
ed to inculcate intolerance or illiberality to the catho- 
lics, by any thing here asserted, by no means. In this 
free country, every man hath equal rights, civil and re- 
ligious. Christianity is a spirit of love, good will and 
benevolence ; and honest men of all religious deno* 
minations, we believe, are equally acceptable in the 
sight of God, and equally respectable in the estimation 
of man. In all sects and religious societies, the in- 
cense of the purest devotion ascends to heaven, from 
the upright and contrite heart — " So that in every age 
and nation of the world, he that feareth God and work- 
eth righteousness, is accepted with him." Yet he on- 
ly is the true worshipper, that worshippeth the Father in 
spirit and in truth. 

The domination of the church, is the worst of all 
dominations, and the tyranny of the priesthood, the 
worst of all tyrannies. They arrogate to themselves a 
dictatorial superiority, which neither their principles, 
their talents, nor any creeds of fallible men can justify. 
For any corrupt mortals to claim, that their creeds or 
Systems constitute the mother Church, is impious in 
the extreme, it is nearly approaching to blasphemy. 
Christianity alone is f < e mother church, the gospel its 
basis, and Christ alone , head of it. The asperity and 



( 42 ) 

rivalship of all sects, are hostile to the christian spirit* 
Instead of calling back all christians, to return to the bo- 
som of Christianity , and repose upon its love, as Christ 
leaned upon the bosom of his beloved disciple, they too 
often send a sword among the followers of the meek and 
lowly Jesus. They sow dissention, discord and strife 
upon the earth ; they engender malignity and revenge ; 
they propagate tenets' and opinions, which are the off- 
spring and the image of Hell. <c Such wisdom cometh 
not from above, it is earthly, selfish and develish." Let 
me sound this awful and alarming truth in their ears, 
that the Bible is the book of God, and freedom of in- 
quiry, the birth right of man. " I speak unto wise 
men, judge ye, what I say." 

From such a general view of the subject, the follow- 
ing observations may be deduced : we may see the re- 
gular progress of learning and science, from the earliest 
periods of society, gradually, though imperfectly, deli- 
neated. In tracing their origin and advancement from 
a fabulous and barbarous state, we find the light of know- 
ledge opening like the dawn of the morning, and after 
experiencing a variety of trials, sometimes prosperous 
and sometimes adverse, it hath, at length, ascended to 
the present height of illumination. And such is the 
distracted state of Europe; such the horrors of war 
which rage in those disturbed countries, where the 
truths of science once shone with meridian brightness ; 
that we may reasonably expect, that she will visit our 
continent in a blaze of glory, attended with a propor- 
tionate share of those great discoveries and improve- 
ments, which have been made in the ancient world.— 
Here it is hoped that liberty and learning in union with 



( 43 ) 

each other, will flourish in bloom and vigour, and our 
great empire be no less distinguished for philosophy and 
science, than it has been justly admired for the noble 
and successful struggles it has made for freedom and 
independence. Under the fostering wings of Liberty, 
science hath fled from calamity and persecution in Eu- 
rope, and taken up her residence in the wilderness of 
the woods. At the commencement of the 15th. centu- 
ry, the great soul of Columbus, by a proud anticipation, 
in the visions of his mind, foresaw the rising glories of 
America. He viewed the promised land, he died, and 
is happy. He foresaw a Washington, ' clarum et ve- 
nerabile nomen," ascend to military fame by patriotic 
heroism. He foresaw a Franklin, ei Fulmen eripuit 
caslo, sceptrumque tyrannis," with a mighty genius 
untutored from the cradle of nature, display the talents 
of an illustrious statesman and a profound philosopher. 
A Rittenhouse, with talents deep, acute and penetrating, 
follow the steps and trace the discoveries of a Boyle and 
Newton. A Henry, with all the powers of an original 
mind, justly contend the palm of eloquence with a De- 
mosthenes and Cicero, a Chatham, a Fox and a Pitt, a 
Curran, an Erskine and Grattan. Nor is it to be sup- 
posed, that in poetry and painting, in history and the 
mechanic arts , in the revolving years of time, we will 
be excelled by the brightest geniuses of antiquity. 
Our Steuart, our Copley and West, may be compared 
to Michael, Angelo, Raphael and Titian; nor ought Guy, 
our adopted citizen, to be overlooked, who possesses 
original genius, nice execution and exquisite taste in 
landscape painting. And our Barlow, our Trumbull, our 
Humphreys, and Linn are not without merit in the tem- 
ple of poetic fame. 



( 44 ) 

What mortal can stop the rays of the rising Sun , from 
darting their light and heat through our atmosphere, and 
piercing to every region and climate of the earth ? In 
the same manner, who can curb the daring efforts of 
the human soul in ascending the hill of science, and ri- 
sing to the summit of fame and perfection, particularly 
if deriving their strength and vigour from the fruits of 
genuine freedom and independence ? Here the tree of 
liberty is planted, in approaching ages the American Ea- 
gle will perch on its highest bough, and future genera- 
tions, adorned with the luminous honours of the arts 
and sciences, will shelter under its branches. 

" Ipsa, haeret scopu-is, et quantum vertice ad auras^ 
iEtherias, tantum radice in Tartara tendit."— vir. 

In the 2d. place it is contended, that College institu- 
tions ought to be encouraged, for the purpose of car- 
rying forward to a greater extent, the progress of learn- 
ing, than could be accomplished in private Seminaries. 
One man may have a genius for the classics, another for 
the mathematics, another for history, another for mora! 
or natural philosophy, another for belles lettres, and ano- 
ther for some one of the mechanic arts. But it is not 
possible in the nature of things, that any one man, be 
his pretensions ever so high, or his talents ever so great 
Can condense, within the circle of his own acquirements, 
all these accomplishments. Who can unite, for in° 
stance, in his own literary character, the astronomical 
powers of a Newton, the acuteness of Locke, the ge- 
nius of a Milton, the profound erudition of a Bacon, 
the elegance of a Blair, or that dignity of historic dic- 
tion which distinguishes the luminous p ages and har* 
monious periods of a Gibbon, a Hume or a Robert- 



( 45 ) 

son? The trial is too daring for mortal ambition to at- 
tempt ; the effort too bold and arduous for mortal pow- 
ers to accomplish. Man must be content to creep be- 
fore he can walk, and to walk before he can wing his 
flight even in imagination, to the setherial regions, lest 
he should be precipitated from his towering height, 
Phaeton like, in blazing ruins. To guide the reins of 
the solar chariot, requires more than eagle eye ; it must 
have supernatural powers. Besides, the division of labor 
is absolutely necessary to give perfection to any art or 
science. It is more congenial to our nature and more 
level to our capacity. Experience teaches the truth of 
this observation, which is confirmed by the practice of 
ages. The same observation applies w ith equal force to 
literary institutions, and is sanctioned by the usage and 
wisdom of antiquity. In all countries, and in all pe- 
riods of time, colleges and universities have grown out 
of the progress and perfection of science. They are 
constellations that shine brightest in the highest orbits 
of literary improvement. Read history, and be convinced 
of this truth, for it speaks the fact in every page, in the 
progress of learning. And farther, the degrees and 
honours of collegiate institutions, operate as a stimulus 
to rouse the patent powers of youth, to pursue their 
studies with renewed ardor. They kindle in the souls of 
aspiring young men a noble emulation and ambition. 
Like the prizes in the Olympic games, they fix the eye 
upon the goal of victory, and they become messengers 
of fame and heralds of praise , that hand down their merits 
in glory to posterity. Such records of worth, stamp 
the sterling mark of excellence upon their characters. 
They discriminate them from the common herd of so- 



( 46 ) 

eiety, and they point them out as exalted upon an emi- 
nence of worth, to which they have been raised by a fair 
and honourable reputation. 

In the 3d. place, it is said, that the establishment of 
colleges, arises from vanity, conceit and avarice, and, 
that private schools will answer every purpose wanted 
in a commercial city. This objection is vulgar, futile 
and false, and carries its own brand of envy and con- 
tempt along with it. 

Every man of conscious worth, wishes to arrive at 
the head of his profession ; it is a noble desire of dis- 
tinction, which is honourable and praise worthy. The 
sailor looks to the rank of admiral, the soldier to be- 
come a general, the lawyer to be made a judge, and the 
private citizen may, one day, hope to fill the first stations 
in society : so it is, and ought to be, in collegiate insti- 
tutions. He, who has wielded the ferula for a number 
of years, and who by a series of persevering labour and 
indefatigable industry, has been the happy means of 
pouring useful instruction over the minds of youth, and 
training them up in truth, virtue and learning, may justly 
look to the professor's chair, as the reward of his toils 
and the gratification of his literary ambition. As a 
qualification for this honourable station, h? has served a 
severe apprenticeships, and has had his feeling lacerated 
by a thousand painful occurrences, numberless fretful 
hours, days and years of drudgery and fatigue, which are 
sufficient to sink his spirits into despondency, unless 
they were buoyed up with the hope of such well earned 
laurels of fame and distinction. He has passed through 
the " Lucubrationes viginti annorum," with honour 
and eclat. He has therefore deservedly attained to the 



( 47 ) 

summit of his wishes, the seat of pre-eminence. And 
those worthies who have shone in their own spheres in 
days that are past, and whose names arf pronounced with 
veneration by the learned world, become so many guid- 
ing stars, to direct the paths of their followers, to the 
same eminence of rank and respectability. With res- 
pect to the charge of avarice, I deny it point blank, it 
is groundless and malevolent. Private schools are the 
most productive of money, and afford much stronger 
inducements to avarice ; and they are enveloped in more 
obscurity and less responsibility. They too often barter 
the honours of science for the emolument of the teacher, 
and make avarice, the basest of all passions, the vehicle 
of their ignorance, as frequently as of their learning.— 
But I quarrel not with such institutions, they may have 
their merit in their own sphere, and meet with a reason- 
able share of public patronage ; yet it may be justly in- 
sisted on, that they are generally defective in many of 
those essential requisites that constitute a comple system 
of education. And if they decline the responsibility 
that is attached to a college, from its deriving a charter 
from legislative authority, the argument is against them. 
They prefer inferiority and obscurity before a pre-emi- 
nent situation, where their talents would be more deeply 
and critically examined 

4thly. and lastly. This college was founded upon the 
most liberal principles and is open to all religious deno- 
minations, without discrimination. Read the preamble 
to the charter, to be convinced of this. It breathes the 
truest spirit of liberality and benevolence, and does ho- 
nour to the members of the Legislature who digested 
and composed it. They have planted the acorn, that 



( 43 ) 

will be cultivated and cherished for ages to come.-* 
This institution is patronised also by the most respecta- 
ble trustees 3 who have generously and honourably be- 
stowed their time and services in securing its successful 
establishment, without any fee or pecuniary considera- 
tion. To gentlemen of such high respectability, a con- 
scious sense of doing good, will be their reward ; the 
gratitude of the rising generation will be their delight, 
and the approbation of posterity will be the monument 
of their fame and their praise. What a sun -shine of en- 
joyment will penetrate their souls, from the sweet recol- 
lection of such disinterested benevolence ! 

Here, let it be observed, and particularly remarked, 
that this College embraces the whole circle of the scien- 
ces, and is entitled by its charter, to confer the usual col- 
legiate honours. From the first elements of the letters 
to the highest sphere of languages, from the first 
principles of philosophy to the highest advancement in 
the sciences, suitable professors and masters are, or will 
be, engaged. At present, the classics are taught thro 5 
all their branches. Mathematics and arithmetic thro' 
all their departments. In the English school, correct 
reading and recitation, with the rudiments of English 
grammar and parsing, are minutely attended to, and pen- 
manship is Executed and taught in a style of superior 
taste and elegance. In a short time also, provision will 
be made to commence a course of lectures upon logic 
and belles lettres, moral philosophy, and natural philoso- 
phy. And to give a finishing to the address and manners 
of the students, it is in contemplation, to establish a de- 
bating society, for the improvement of the more ad- 
vanced young gentlemen, in the habit and practice of 



( 49 ) 

public speaking ; at which some one of the professors 
will preside and assist, in conducting the debate with 
dignity and decorum. The situation of the college 
is high and airy, the rooms commodious and spacious, 
and the hours of attendance so arranged and apportion- 
ed, as neither to load the professor nor the student with 
unnecessary labour, drudgery or fatigue ; and no pun- 
ishments are to be inflicted, but such as are designed to 
rouse industry, promote improvement and preserve 
order. 

What now remains, but that every professor and tu- 
tor discharge the important trust which they have un- 
dertaken, with fidelity and honour, and every student 
and pupil do their respective duties with cheerfulness 
and alacrity ? 

Activity, diligence and perseverance are absolutely 
necessary to success. These are winged messengers 
that will waft the bark of our institution to the harbor 
of security and prosperity. Let us all therefore, unite 
our joint efforts and talents in one grand co-operation. 
United we stand, divided we fall ; but concord will 
crown our exertions with wreaths of well earned glory. 

' ' Res p'arvoe concordia crescunt, discordia maximse 
dilabuntur." 

And now you generous youth of IL" Lh ore college, 
permit me to close this address wit ie remark pecu- 
iarly applicable to you* You s> nat your friends, 
preceptors and patrons have donf your accommoda- 
tion and improvement in lite are. You possess 
warm and generous affections, ierefore gratitude is 
the first impression, that should be made on your 
hearts. 

G 



( 50 ) 

You possess mental powers, lively, vigorous and ao 
tive ; therefore, diligence, attention and unremitting 
application are the next diities you have to perform. 
You possess souls emulous and aspiring, therefore the 
highest honours of literary fame, you should be am- 
bitious of attaining. And lastly, you were created in 
the image of your maker and born for immortality, 
therefore, the effulgent glories of religion should ani- 
mate your hopes, inflame your desires and move the 
elastic spring of your immortal faculties. 

What unbounded prospects of fame and glory, of 
honour and renown are placed before you ! From all 
the regions of past science, you may derive light and 
information ; and from all the luminaries of philoso- 
sophy, you may have models for your imitation : But 
above all things, fix your eyes upon the mirror of the 
gospel as containing the words of eternal life, and " look 
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, who 
knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." 
Let him be your instructor, your comforter and your 
example. Inspired by such views, andWirected by such 
steps, your country calls upon you to make progress, 
your preceptors and teachers urge it upon you with 
the most impressive earnestness, and your parents 
and guardians,? wijh the tears and solicitude of the 
most anxious tenderness and affection, demand it of you 
as a duty. Go on, advance, persevere, and may provi- 
dence be your guidt ! 

FINIS. 



MASONIC SERMON, 

UPON THE 

HAPPINES OF THE RIGHTEOUS 

AFTER DEATH. 



1st. Corinthians, 15th. chapter, 41st, and part of 

42d. verse. 

<* There is one glory of the Sun, another glory of the 
Moon, and another glory of the Stars ; or one Star differeth 
from ano her Star in glory, so also is the resurrection of 
the dead." 

The words I have chosen as the subject of the fol- 
lowing discourse, are naturally connected with the so- 
lemnities of Masonry. The Sun, Moon and Stars are 
emblems of religion and of light, of virtue and glory ; 
they are intimately connected also with the object of this 
day's meeting, as they are calculated to relieve the hu- 
man heart, under the pressure of distress, and elevate 
our hopes above the sorrows and uncertainties of these 
sublunary scenes ; of these glorious lights, our Ma- 
sonic institutions are striking symbols ; and they assist 
and elevate our souls to contemplate those sublime ob- 
jects, and to fix our hopes and affections upon the fu- 
ture and unchangeable enjoyments of the righteous in 



( 52 ) 

the worlds of immortality. For surely the doctrine of 
the resurrection of the dead, and the state of happiness 
and glory, which is secured to all good men, upon the 
terms of the Christian gospel, is a most rejoicing re- 
flection, and beautifully illustrated by the brightness 
of the scenery in our text. Here Christians have the 
most animating and extended prospects opened before 
them ; prospects which arise, not from the fluctuations 
of time, and depend not upon the delusions of conjec- 
ture, but are steady as the illuminations of truth, and 
durable as the years of eternity. Here they behold end- 
less scenes of uaclouded joy, as well to invigorate their 
exertions in moral worth, as to reward their virtuous 
improvement. They are not left to the transient pos- 
sessions of this life to complete their happiness. They 
are not confined to the partial enjoyments, which result 
from the bodily appetites, as the sum of immortal feli- 
city. Nor are they to be blessed solely with the refine- 
ments of pure and spiritual pleasures, in which the men- 
tal powers alone are concerned, and by which the sacred 
aspirations of our hearts are warmed, by a momentary 
influence, that pass away like the morning dew. But 
they have the fullest assurance, that the unsullied virtues 
which constituted the highest acquisitions, and crowned 
the highest exertions of their souls, in this world, shall 
unfold themselves in scenes of increasing glory, in 
a future state ; which shall resemble, in purity and 
brightness, the diversified splendor of the heavenly bo- 
dies. The ascending scale of moral worth shall be a 
progressive stage of happiness, in which the soul and 
body united, shall be sharers in celestial joys, without 
limit and without end, 



( 53 ) 

This is the language, the sentiments and the doctrine 
of the apostle in our text :— 

" There is one glory, says he, of the Sun, another 
glory of the Moon, and another glory of the Stars ; for 
one Star difFereth from another Star in glory, so also is 
the resurrection of the dead." 

In illustrating these words, let us attend to the follow- 
ing considerations, as naturally deducible from the sub- 
ject ; and from which, I hope, it will appear, how en- 
livening and encouraging those prospects are, which 
are opened into futurity by the doctrine of the text. 
Let us endeavour to trace those rewards which are 
partly annexed to the practice of virtue in this life, by 
the constitution of nature, and are secured and aug* 
mented to the righteous alone, beyond the ruins of the 
grave. Rewards these, which are painted in very bril- 
liant colours and glowing language in our text. 

In the 1st. place, let us consider the consequence of 
virtue itself. The heart of man is the seat of the bene- 
volent affections, as well as the source of every virtue ; 
and from the right culture and improvement of it, the 
highest beauty and finishing are given to the human 
character, ''Keep thy heart," says Solomon, "with 
all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." 

To every one who examines, with any degree of at- 
tention, the operations of his own mind, it will appear 
obvious, that if virtue in any instance, confers a reward 
upon him who feels its sacred influence, it will hold 
good, that this reward will generally encrease in every 
instance, in proportion to its intrinsic excellence. This 
is a law, enacted by the authority of the Almighty, im- 
printed upon the frame and coeval with the existance of 



( 54 ) 

man. Upon this principle, if a man has adorned his 
character with amiable and worthy qualities, if he has 
established in his soul persevereing habits of well-doing, 
if he has purified and sanctified the sources of morality 
in his own breast, by a correct moral taste and an unble- 
mished moral conduct, he will inevitably feel corres- 
ponding emotions of rational pleasure, upon reflection. 
This is the fountain which uniformly and invariably 
emits the streams of peace and felicity. Hence flow 
every pure and virtuous accomplishment, that can ex- 
alt the human character to a just distinction in society, 
pour the sweetest consolations into the soul, or recom- 
mend it to the everlasting approbation of God. Who 
is it jthat stretches forth the arm of protection over the 
forlorn and helpless stranger, when likely to be over- 
powered by a relentless enemy, that feels not happy at 
the recollection of the generous deed ? Who is it, that 
relieves from famine the fatherless and the orphan, that 
opens the hand of plenty to supply the wants of the poor, 
that rescues from imminent danger the faithful friend, 
whose life was as dear to him as his own, or pours the 
cup of consolation to ease the prisoner's chains and as- 
suage the sorrows and cries of distress, but dwells with 
secret pleasure, upon such exertions of sympathy and 
friendship, and exults with perfect propriety in the re- 
flected image of such disinterested virtues ?' 

This, we may justly denominate the sound, the pure, 
the godlike morality of nature. It is the voice of hea- 
ven, within us, speaking by our conscience or moral 
sense, in the tenderest and most delightful accents, the 
tranquility, the peace and never failing enjoyments of 
spotless morality and generous benevolence. Its influ- 



( 55 ) 

enees are soothing, elevating and noble. It leads not t© 
vanity or ostentation. It is not the effusion of self im- 
portance or self conceit, but springs from the dignity and 
enthusiasm of virtue itself, and operates as a spur to 
stimulate us to deeds of more extensive usefulness and 
more exalted worth. It resembles the goodness of 
God, which is unlimited in its extent and boundless in 
the blessings it bestows, whose benevolent streams reach 
to all worlds, and spread their enlivening gaiety and 
blooming verdure throughout the wide expanse of na- 
ture. Here, one act of goodness, as respects mortal be,, 
ings, becomes the parent of another, and habits of be- 
nevolence are formed, which are at once the offspring of 
the purest virtue and a source of the highest enjoyment 
Hence the virtues became related as children of the same 
father. They are united by the closest, the most en- 
dearing kindred affection. They viberate from soul to 
soul in the sweetest harmony, and are entwined in the 
most cordial embrace. 

From the confined influence of virtue, within the 
narrow sphere of sympathy for distress, where, per- 
haps, the most intense degrees of it, are felt to operate, 
the mind is expanded and prepared for greater and no- 
bler exertions. It rises gradually to a higher scale of 
worth, and ascends to an eminence, from which it shines 
with a more diffusive lustre. Its excellence is purified 
in the furnace of affliction ; it is brightened and refined 
by the severity of trial and the acuteness of suffering, 
until thus ascending through difficulties and dangers, 
through sorrow and pain, its aspiring struggles terminate 
in sublime displays of patriotic heroism, even in maiv 
tyrdom itself. 



( 56 ) 

What noble examples of patience and magnanimity 
have been exhibited on the earth, by martyrs, who have 
bled in the cause of God and a good conscience I By 
Christian saints and heroes, who bore, with unshaken 
firmness, the excruciating tortures of fire and faggot ; 
who have trodden, with undaunted front, the scaffold of 
death, which was the last and severest test of their inte- 
grity, and from which, with intrepid looks and immo.r- 
tal hopes, they have been launched into eternity ! 

These were men worthy of the cross of Christ, who 
marked the path to glory through persecution and su£ 
ferings, and who ascended to the completion of happi- 
ness upon the sublimity of every virtue. T hese are 
men, who, in scripture language, "have come out of 
great tribulation, who have washed their robes and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb." 

Now it is to be supposed, that such well tried virtues 
will be dissolved by death, and loose their existence the 
moment the present scene closes upon them ? Shall 
all the fond d.sires, the longing hopes, the bright and 
aspiring views which supported the righteous man in 
thus struggling to preserve his integrity against the ter- 
rors of death, vanish, as the visions of the night, in airy 
phantom s? Are the promises of the gospel nu gatory ; 
is the resurrection of Christ an imposture ? And are 
the strongest desires which animated and elevated the 
human breast amidst the ruins of dissolving nature, and 
from the dust and rottenness of the grave, point to the 
glories of an hereafter, no more than the reveries of en- 
thusiasts, the superstitious nights of fancy or the disor- 
dered phrenzy of a heated brain ? Shall the coward 
and the hero, the villain and the saint, the oppressor and 



( 5? ) 

the oppressed, the midnight murderer and the innocent 
victim of his blood-thirsty fury, be promiscuously tum- 
bled into the sepulchre of corruption, and their memo- 
ries and their characters be equally shrouded in oblivion, 
and extinguished for eternal ages from the works of 
God? — No, impossible; nature, reason, revelation^ 
Heaven and earth, raise their voice against it, and pro- 
claim this awful and solemn truth, " Shall not the judge 
of all the earth do right ?" How much more reasona- 
ble is it therefore to maintain with the Christian, the re- 
surrection of the righteous after death, to attest that 
their works do follow them, and that their brows shall 
be adorned in a future world with those laurels which 
bloomed and grew out of the virtues of this life ? That 
in proportion to the number and magnitude of their vir- 
tues, their honours shall be resplendent, their triumphs 
shall encrease, and their happiness be enlarged and es- 
tablished through the rolling years of eternity. " Bles- 
sed are the dead who die in the Lord, from henceforth i 
yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their la- 
bours and their works do follow them." 

Here virtue in streams of glory is poured around 
the character of righteous men, and becomes a perpe- 
tual fountain of glory ; which Overflows with a fullness that 
is in proportion to the source from whence it springs* lit 
this blessed state, all the good actions of their lives 
shall be completely ascertained and vindicated^ hay, 
even their good intentions shall not be forgotten. But 
every principle of moral worth, every virtue, whether 
public or private, every aspiration of thesoul> whether 
ascending in acts of beneficence^ or concealed from 

the notice of the world in the recesses of poverty, 
H 



( 58 ) 

All, all shall be brought up in remembrance before 
God, angels and men, each pouring its streams into 
the same source of happiness, until it be " as a well of 
water springing up unto eternal life." Thus "their 
works shall follow them," their piety and godliness, 
their justice and charity, their temperance and sobriety, 
their patience and magnanimity, their perseverance and 
piety, their fortitude against temptation and their vic- 
tory over vice. All these virtues shall be united toge- 
ther, they shall combine their sacred influences as so 
many rays of felicity in a centre of delights, thence, 
to emerge again in glory, honour and immortality. 

How natural and proper then is the imagery of the 
text, to express the various degrees of moral improve- 
ment and the various degrees of happiness resulting 
from it, which are thus by the providence of God inse- 
parably connected ? That happiness is as natural to 
the essence and character of virtue, as it is essential to 
the Sun to illuminate the world by the splendor of his 
beams. Nay, this is not all, for the feelings of the 
human heart declare, and the wisest decisions of the 
understanding confirm it, that this happiness will not 
only ascend upon an encreasing scale of perfection, un- 
til it ultimately reaches the effulgence of God's throne ; 
but be spread out upon the diverging rays of virtue, 
until it be encircled with the irradiations of his glory. 
Thus " the path of the righteous is as the shining 
light, which shines more and more, even unto the 
perfect day. And the righteous, saith Job, shall hold 
on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall wax 
stronger and stronger." 



( 59 ) 

This practical truth, is farther corroborated and il- 
lustrated by these emphatic words of the apostle, where 
lie asserts, that the trials and afflictions of this life, ope- 
rate as a furnace of fire upon metals, they soften, they 
purify, they brighten the lustre of our virtues, they 
extract from suffering and from sorrow, a brilliant ac- 
cumulation of endless glory. Here, our sufferings 
are but momentary, but our blessings are to surpass 
the utmost bounds of human thought, and be endless 
in duration. if Our light affliction says he, which is 
but a moment in comparison, will work for us a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 

2dly. Let us consider the character of God, as a 
perfect moral governor, and consequently a friend to 
virtue and virtuous men, as a farther illustration of the 
doctrine of the text. 

" The righteous Lord, saith the psalmist, loveth 
righteousness, and he beholdeth the upright with a 
pleasant countenance." 

If the Deity possesses within himself the fullness of 
all perfection, and if the highest happiness of this na- 
ture consists in contemplating his own unrivalled ex- 
cellencies, as the foundation of his supreme felicity. 
Then upon this principle, it follows, that he will be 
pleased in beholding the same moral excellencies pos- 
sessed, even in a subordinate degree, by his rational 
creatures, and consequently be pleased to reward them 
according to their progressive improvement in these 
moral attainments. Here the light of God's counte- 
nance will be reflected upon the imperfect virtues of 
man and shine with a brighter lustre upon him, in pro= 
portion to the intrinsic excellence of his worth, 



( 60) 

Now human virtue consists in the imitation of the 
pure moral attributes of the Deity. It is the image of 
God's perfections, spread out and impressed upon the 
hearts and lives of the children of men. It is his good- 
ness, his mercy and his truth interwoven in their 
frame and exhibited in their benevolent exertions for 
the most extensive happiness of the world. It is jus- 
tice and integrity, uprightness and sincerity in all their 
dealings and intercourse with one another. It is the 
generous effusion of nature and nature's benevolence 
and compassion, in binding up the broken hearted, in 
relieving and soothing the sighings and the sorrows of 
the miserable. In a word, it is the union of piety 
and godliness, of faith and good works, of religion 
and morality in all our affections and actions, and a 
full possession of that holiness, which is christian and 
pure, substantial and unalterable, and without which, 
■ f no man shall see the Lord." 

This constitutes the righteousness in man which 
will be the object of complacency with the Deity. It is 
that inherent worth, which is the offspring of purity of 
heart and integrity of life. It consists not in resting our 
hopes of salvation upon a partial obedience of the di^ 
vine laws, nor in magically applying the imputed suffer- 
ings and righteousness of Christ, to extinguish the 
magnitude and malignity of our personal guilt ; but in 
an invariable adherence to all the commandments and 
ordinances of God, " that we may be perfect and entire, 
wanting nothing. ' \ 

"Be ye perfect," says our Saviour, "even as your 
Father who is in Heaven, is perfect. Not every one 
that saith unto me^ Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 



( 61 ) 

kingdom of Heaven, but he that cloth the will of my 
Father who is in Heaven." And to the same purpose 
are the words of St. James : " Shew me thy faith with- 
out thy works, and I will shew you my faith by my 
works." 

It is the beauty and the glory of religion, that there is 
no limit to bound the views or restrain the exertions of 
virtuous men, in their advancement to perfection. It 
opens before them an immense horizon of cloudless 
dav, over which they may range from one stage of hap* 
piness to another ; and still as they advance, new scenes 
unfolding to animate their exertions. New objects ris- 
ing up to enliven and fix their attention. New wonders 
and new worlds displayed, to invigorate their hopes and 
clelight their imaginations, until at length, in the ardor 
of pursuit and transported with the unbounded extent 
of the prospect, they are swallowed up and lost in the 
immensity and glory of the surrounding scenery. 

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it 
entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things 
which God hath provided for them that love him." 

Now, here it is, that virtue shines with unsullied beau- 
ty and loveliness, and amidst the magnificence and gran- 
deur with which she is encircled, she erects her coun- 
tenance with majesty divine, arrayed in the mildness of 
celestial splendor. 

In this world, her friends are the friends of God. 
They are the followers of Jesus Christ ; they are can- 
didates for heaven ; they are heirs of immortality, in 
the world to come. They have obtained the victory 
over death, they have burst the prison of the grave, 
they have ascended up on high, they hold communion 



( 62 ) 

with angels and "the spirits of just men made perfect,' 
and are partakers of that flood of glory and of " those 
rivers of pleasure which are at God's right hand for 
evermore." 

The Almighty, enthroned in ineffable light and su- 
preme beatitude, imparts from his own nature some 
rays of his felicity, to strengthen, to encourage, to re- 
ward his faithful servants in their pursuit of the highest 
enjoyment of heaven and happiness. He clears their 
imperfect vision from all doubt and uncertainty He 
dispels all darkness from their understandings and 
wipes away all tears from their eyes. " There his righ- 
teousness shall appear as the Sun, and his judgments 
as the noon day." There no good action of the righte- 
ous shall be forgotten, no misery or misfortune shall 
pursue them ; but honest tried virtue, that hath been 
brightened in the furnace of affliction , * ' shall shine forth 
as the brightness of the firmament for ever." 

In this wonderful procedure, in this awful solemnity, 
justice, equity and mercy shall remain inviolate ; the 
perfect rectitude of the divine character, shall be main- 
tained, and the final decisions of the Almighty, will be 
no less unchangeable and irreversible, than fair and im- 
partial, that every mouth may be stopped and every 
tongue may be speechless. There shall be unveiled 
those mysterious ways of providence, which to mortal 
eyes are now shrouded in obscurity, and our knowledge 
be extended, whilst our virtues are rewarded. The 
complaints and murmurings of faithless and desponding 
men shall then be done away ; the cause of truth and 
righteousness shall rise triumphant ; but vice and hy- 
pocrisy, dishonesty and knavery, with every evil word 



( 63 ) 

and work, shall sink into everlasting shame and contempt , 
and be " banished from the presence of the Lord for 
ever." " Say ye to the righteous," saith the prophet, 
" it shall be well with him, for he shall eat the fruit of 
his own doings ; but woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill 
with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given 
him " 

What a blessed and glorious administration is this, 
Where virtue and happiness are founded upon pillars so 
strong and durable ! How worthy of the eternal recti* 
tude of the all perfect God ! How justly meriting the 
highest praise and adoration of angels and of men! 
" Oh ! the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom 
and the knowledge of God. How unsearcheable are 
his judgments and his ways past finding out I" 

Thus, from the throne of God, rays of the divine 
goodness extend to this lower world, and conduct the 
departed spirits of the righteous, from the gloom and 
darkness of the grave, to the cloudless splendors of im- 
mortal glory. 

There the friends of truth and virtue, who were often 
oppressed in this life, who have borne with unshaken 
fortitude the flames of persecution, or the chains and 
tortures of lawless and relentless power ; and at length. 
Wasted away with pain and wretchedness, have fallen 
victims of their tried integrity ; these men, shall have 
their grievances redressed, their sorrows alleviated, and 
their cause vindicated and established for ever. They 
shall rise from the dusty ruins of mortality above the des- 
pot's malice and the ruffian's rage, they shall soar to the 
higher orbs of light and of life, they shall be encircled 
with wreaths of purified virtue, with peace, mercy and 



( 64 ) 

love, they shall be acknowledged as the children and tn£ 
friends of the most High, and they shall be admitted 
into the courts of Heaven, "and enter into that rest 
which is prepared for the people of God." 

3dly. Let us consider the employment and happiness 
of the spirits of the just in heaven, as a farther argument 
in confirmation of the doctrine of the text. 

Heaven surely is the dwelling place of the righteous, 
and the mansion of everlasting glory. There the throne 
of the Almighty is established in righteousness, is sur- 
rounded with radiant splendor, " is covered with light 
as with a garment. " There his blessed son is exalted at 
the right hand of the majesty on high. There he re- 
ceives the embraces of his Father's love, and the " smiles 
of his countenance." And thence he dispenses the 
riches of his goodness throughout the immense extent 
of his boundless dominions. There also, those ten 
thousand times, ten thousand glorified spirits, which 
hearken unto the voice and obey the commands of the 
Almighty, are continually employed in celebrating the 
praises of him that sitteth upon the throne of the Lamb 
for ever. 

Now in this view of the subject, there is plainly a 
subordination of rank and happiness among the spirits 
above ; and evidently, higher and lower degrees of glo- 
ry, according to the perfection of those pure moral 
beings, who are happy in the heavenly mansions. We 
read in the holy scriptures of higher and lower orders of 
the Angelic Host, of Cherubim and Seraphim, of An- 
gels and Archangels* of thrones, principalities and pow- 
ers. This undoubtedly implies that all ranks are not 
levelled there, that there are degrees of pre-eminence m 



( 65 ) 

dignity, a subordination of glory and happiness in de- 
gree, though essentially the same in kind, in the bound- 
less realms of futurity. The capacities of all the righ- 
teous are not equally enlarged to receive equal degrees 
of happiness, though all are unspeakably and eternal- 
ly happy. Hence the many mansions, which are richly 
furnished in the courts of heaven, for the accommoda- 
tion of the saints in light, and are adapted to the employ- 
ment, to the capacities and the moral worth of every 
celestial inhabitant. In those abodes of happiness, are 
assembled all the renowned worthies who ever appear" 
ed upon the earth; whether patriarchs or prophets,; 
apostles or martyrs, and are arrayed in orders and 
crowned with honours according to their respective de- 
serts : that is, according to their capacities of attaining 
happiness, arising from their progressive improvement 
in moral worth. Now through all these vast and va- 
rious stages of happiness in heaven, from the peerless 
and unrivalled glory of the Supreme being, to the sub- 
ordinate employment of the lowest celestial inhabitant* 
how immense is the theatre for the enjoyment of the 
fruits of virtue ? Here is a scale of pure felicity laid 
out before us r large as the bounty of God, which is 
boundless, and durable as his existence, which is eter- 
nal. 

In all this vast extent of joy and bliss, some of the 
pure spirits, who are the objects of it, shine with a 
more obscure, and some with a more effulgent glory, 
some whose happiness may be compared to the fainter 
and twinkling light of the stars ; some to the borrowed 
lustre of the moon, and some to the unclouded splen- 
dor of the meridian Sun. Yet all move in their r©s« 
I 



( 66 ) 

pective spheres, as so many orbs of light, towards 
that eternal fountain of light, by which they are illumi- 
ted, and in which they will all ultimately centre. The 
perfections of the Deity attract their sublimest affec- 
tions, are the source of their highest delight, and the 
standard of their unwearied imitation. Thev contem- 
plate the pure and immaculate glories of the Almighty, 
without being confounded with their immensity, daz- 
zled by their brightness, or exhausted by sucn exer- 
cises ; and by dwelling upon such subjects of contem- 
plation, their understandings are invigorated, their af- 
fections spiritualized, their capacities enlarged, and 
their virtues purified and exalted, even to celestial per- 
fection. Hence they comprehend more and more the 
wonderful discoveries of God's providence and grace, 
and the amazing displays of his love and goodness in the 
wide range of the boundless universe. There they 
dwell upon his matchless glories with delight, and they 
cease not, with adoring thoughts, to celebrate his praise 
and sing forth the honours of his name in everlasting 
songs of joy and gratitude* What they receive, they 
return again in thanksgiving ; the rays of the divine fe- 
licity, thus shed abroad in their hearts, ascend to the 
throne of bliss, from which they issued, and are thence 
reflected to the bosom of God, where they shine in 
beams of unwasting splendor. For what is the happiness 
of every rational, moral being among the hosts of hea- 
ven, but a portion of the divine glory communicated, to 
be sent back to the Father of lights, who is the inex- 
haustible fountain of all our joys, the foundation of all 
our hopes and the inspirer of all our happiness ? It is 
the resplendency of his own unwasting goodness* en- 



( 67 ) 

circling our souls in the embraces of his love, the out- 
stretching* rays of his mercy, cheering, pardoning and 
rewarding the righteous with the graces of his recon- 
ciliation ; and the full enjoyment of his presence, smi- 
ling in complacency, beaming in serene effulgence, and 
returning upon himself, from the borrowed lustre of 
our virtues. In a word, it is the co-operation of our 
souls with him in glory and happiness, and the uniting 
our hearts and affections in the great work of extend- 
ing his moral kingdom of truth and righteousness upon 
the earth, and thus laying a solid principle, upon which 
to advance ourselves to that fulness of joy in which he 
dwells, where we shall glorify him in nearer and nearer 
approaches to his throne, where we shall become ever- 
lasting monuments of his overflowing mercy and good- 
ness, and " where we shall be changed after his image, 
from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord." 

How encouraging and animating are the words of the 
apostle Paul upon this subject, when with an extacy 
divine and transporting, he proclaims the triumphs of 
the righteous over death ! 

" O death, where is now thy sting ? O grave, where 
is thy victory, the sting of death is sin, and the 
strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God, who 
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

In like manner, the words of the psalmist to the 
same purpose, are equally animating and sublime, 
" Sing, O ye Heavens, for the Lord hath done it. 
Shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth into sing- 
ing, O forest, and every tree therein, for the Lord he 
is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his 
works," 



( 68 ) 

And with what rapturous strains are these words ut- 
tered, by the pious and patient Job ? '' Oh that my 
words were now written ! Oh that they were printed in 
a book ! that they were graven with an iron pen and 
lead in the rock forever ! For I know that my redeem- 
er liveth ? and that he shall stand at the latter day on the 
earth : and though after my skin, worms destroy this 
body, yet in my flesh I shall see God." 

These words also of the Prophet, are equally cheer- 
ing, affecting and consoling upon the same subject, and 
breathe the warmest sentiments of piety and devotion, 
and the fullest confidence in the divine promises. De- 
lightful reflection ! How elevating to the human heart ! 
" Thy Sun, says he, shall no more go down, neither 
shall the moon withdraw itself but the Lord shall be 
thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning 
shall be ended." 

But the words of our blessed saviour exceed them 
all, for comfort and support, for joy, and rejoicing 
they unfold at once the -most exalted views of future 
existence, and the firmest grounds of our faith, hope, 
and salvation. " I am, says he, the resurrection and the 
life, he that belie veth in me, though he were dead, yet 
shall he live, I give unto my sheep eternal life, I as- 
cend to my Father and your Father and unto my God? 
and your God." Oh that men would praise the Lord, 
for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the 
child en or men! 

Thus, this grand and august -scheme of Providence 
established for the increasing happiness of the righte- 
ous, runs through all d-.pensatlons of religion, and pe- 
netrates the invisible worlds of futurity. It ascends b$ 



( 69 ) 

an indissoluble chain from the virtues of this life, and 
reaches from the imperfections of mortality to the 
„throne of God. What tongue can express, what heart 
can conceive, the glorious extent, the goodness and be- 
nevolence of such an administration ? "It is higher 
than heaven, what can we know ? Deeper than hell, what 
can we do ? The measure thereof, is longer than the 
earth and broader than the sea." These are exhaust- 
less scenes, these are transporting prospects, which 
transcend all human thought, and are calculated to ani- 
mate, to encourage us to secure the possession of them, 
after the labours and trials of this life are over ; they 
carry forward our hopes, beyond the limits of mortal- 
ity, they raise our aspiring thoughts from temporal to 
eternal objects, and they consummate that happiness in 
heaven, which grows out of the virtues of this life. 
All this happiness, all this glory, all this everlasting 
joy, which await the righteous after death. Row in un- 
remitting streams from the inexhaustible fountain of the 
divine goodness ; and all the blessed spirits above, are 
partakers of it, according to their measure and degree. 
Christians, with such an elevated and enlarged pros- 
pect of glory before us, to reward our progressive 
righteousness, what manner of persons ought we to be 
in ail holy conversation and godliness ? What strong 
grounds of contentment and comfort, also do we pos- 
sess, under the most trying and distressing misfor- 
tunes, nay, even under the silent and sudden approaches 
of death itself ? Here all our sorrows may be turned 
into joys, and our misery into happiness, from the 

bright hopes and clear views, we have of such u an eter. 

pal weight of glory, ' ' Throughout the boundless realms 



( 70 ) 

of unspeakable blessedness in heaven, what a wide ex« 
tended region of felicity is laid out before us, to invigo- 
rate the exertions and crown the virtues of this life ? In 
the heavenly mansions, we behold an advancing scale 
of happiness without limit and without end. There 
we behold the glories of virtue, outshining the glo- 
ries of the Sun, the glories of the moon, and the glo- 
ries of the stars ; there we see with the eye of faith, 
world rising above world, and space stretching beyond 
space, through the rolling years of time, and the hap- 
piness of the righteous always continuing, increasing 
and enlarging, even to an endless duration. From 
this consideration, should not our virtues rise high in 
proportion to the greatness of the reward we have in 
view, and the brightness of the glory, we look forward 
to enjoy? Our noblest affections, our sublimest de- 
sires, our christian hopes, ought to be fixed upon the 
prize that lies before us. Actuated by such exalted 
contemplations, we should conquer the temptations, 
oppose the vices, and rise above the afflictions which 
assail frail mortality in this sublunary scene. Elevated 
to an eminence in virtue, we should fix our eyes and 
our hopes, upon heaven and immortal objects, as the 
only rewards suitable and adequate to immortal be- 
ings. Here the enjoyments of sense, are ignoble and 
momentary ; but there, the pleasures of religion, the 
light of truth and the glories of virtue are immaculate, 
immutable, and immortal. Having such a victory, such 
a triumph and such a crown of immortality in pros- 
pect, let us not be discouraged by the host of enemies 
we may have to encounter, or by the sufferings we may 
endure in this perilous and formidable warfare. The 



( 71 ) 

lliore severely we have to struggle, if we are conquerors, 
the more conspicuous will be our fortitude, the more 
illustrious our virtue, the more splendid our success, 
and the more glorious our reward. In every age, the 
most renowned characters, have encountered the great- 
est dangers, the severest trials, and the most painful suf- 
ferings. It is misfortune and distress that give purity 
as well as stability and perfection to virtue ; nay, every 
moral excellence is refined and brightened in the cruci- 
ble of affliction ; and even the stroke of death itself, the 
most awful and alarming of all events, whilst it eclipses 
our view of this worlds and envelopes in momentary* 
gloom the gaiety of nations, will advance the righteous, 
far, far, beyond the ruins of the grave, will establish 
them in the invisible worlds of futurity, and fix them 
forever in those heavenly mansions* where they shall be 
surrounded with eternal light, and eternal day. 

Jesus Christ and his apostles, the primitive christians, 
and the whole army of martyrs, " were all made perfect 
through suffering'," and all their faithful followers, imit- 
ating their example, and walking in their steps, will in 
like manner, be exalted to proportionable rewards and 
glories hereafter. " These men being faithful unto 
death, shall inherit the promises, they dwell in the tem- 
ple of God, and they go out no more, they are in 
possession of life and immortality, they are in the midst 
of the paradise of God* and serve him day and night 
in his temple, and he that sitteth upon the throne shall 
dwell among them, he shall lead them to living foun- 
tains of water, and God shall wipe away all tears from 
their eyes," 



( 72 ) 

Here, brethren, are examples for us to imitate, here 
is everlasting glory for us to participate, if like them wc 
live, if like them we conquer, and like them we die. 
Here are views of happiness laid down before us, which 
extend, with an increasing lustre, into the regions of 
light and love, and beam upon the eye of faith with an 
effulgence unutterable ; and all the ensigns of our order' 
are emblematical of such splendid mansions, of such 
celestial enjoyments of such ascending glories. The 
Masonic lights, though but a faint resemblance of these 
bright and glorious scenes, yet are calculated to make 
suitable impressions through the medium of our senses 
upon our hearts, to warm and animate our devout af- 
fections, and to inspire us with sublime and ardent de- 
sires to secure the real and unchangeable possession of 
them in the world of spirits. Our lodges are emblems 
of heaven, for they are dedicated to God's glory, and 
the hearts of the brethren, upright, just, and true, 
ought to be as sanctuaries, filled with peace, concord^ 
and love to one another. At the head of the universe 
the Almighty sits enthroned in radiant majesty, thence he 
issued his all powerful command ; "He said let there 
be light, and there was light ;" thus all nature started in^ 
to existence- " By the word of the Lord were the hea- 
vens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of hk 
mouth." Here rests the foundation of Masonry, and 
our lodges are humble and imperfect representations of 
the magnificence, the grandeur, and the glory of the 
creation. 

«' feil thou universal Lord of heaven and earth, thou 
" Supreme, thou Original, thou alone eternal Jehovah, 
n God over aH 3 blessed for ever ; of the mechanism of 



( 73 ) 

<* thy works, scf spacious and glorious, all the product!- 
" ons of man, are but faint representations. Even the 
" temple of Solomon, sublimely grand and august as it 
" was, with its columns, its arches, and its sanctum sanc-< 
* torum, forms but an inadequate model." — -Where is 
H there a house that ye will build unto me, saith the 
"Lord, or where is the place of my rest?" 

The eternal essence of the great Jehovah pervades all 
nature > all worlds, all existence ; it is limited to notime, 
it is confined to no space. " Behold the heavens, and 
the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. "—Yet these 
productions, these symbols, that temple and our lodges^ 
are so many steps to aid our advancement in ascending 
the portico of nature to the throne of the Almighty, 
which is studded with constellations of glory in the 
highest heavens ; they are so many rays, which lead us 
wandering mortals from the darkness of this twilight 
state, to the palace of the Creator, which is filled with 
uncreated light : guided by the beams of this light, we 

lift up our souls to those celestial regions of purity and 
holiness, in which he dwells, and thence derive the influ- 
ences of his spirit, the consolations of his mercy, the 
illuminations of his truth, the effusions of his love, and 
the richest streams of benevolence. Hence, the first 
duty of a Mason consists in the highest homage and 
adoration of the Supreme Being. 

Farther, "the Almighty, at the creation, hath opened 
his liberal hand and filled the earth with good." The 
blessings of his goodness, overspread the face of nature 
with a copious profusion, and are immense as his works; 
but he hath endow xi us with exalted powers of reason 

and understanding, and with a spiritual and immortal 
K 



( 74 ) 

soul, he hath enriched our natures with life, health, and 
enjoyment, he hath filled our hearts with generous affec. 
tions, and "he hath crowned us with his loving kind- 
ness and tender mercies." These blessings, in return, 
call forth the warmest sentiments of our gratitude, and 
t he purest incense of our praise. Hence, the emblems 
of our lodges, the symbols of our order, and the imple- 
ments of our craft, assist our feeble powers in such 
sublime meditations. 

Still farther, the institutions of Masonry, are not only 
calculated to illustrate the doctrines of the text, but to 
recommend and carry into operation, the pure, the be- 
nevolent and the philanthropic spirit of the gospel. 

Brethren, the great object and design of our order, are 
to cherish that spirit, to curb and suppress every re- 
vengeful passion, and to inculcate universal peace and 
concord ; no animosities, backbiting or slander, should 
ever enter within the walls of our lodges, much less the 
hearts of the brethren ; but the moment we approach 
the sanctuary which is invested with our jewels, 
that instant we should exclude all jaring strife, 
and evil speaking, and " put on as the elect of God, holy 
and beloved bowels of mercies, meekness, patience, 
and long suffering." — Secrecy and silence are charac- 
teristics of Masonry ; peace and good will give a soft- 
ening and. delightful influence to the order ; sweet as are 
the tones of music to the ear, so is the harmony of souls 
in our Masonic societies. This is an emblem of hea- 
ven, an endearing illustration of the gospel, a display 
upon earth of that union and undisturbed serenity, 
which connect the angelic host, and the spirit of just 
men made perfect, in celebrating the praises of the eter- 



( 75 ) 

nal Jehovah, in the heavenly mansions. There the Se- 
raphim, and Cherubim that surround the throne, cele- 
brate his perfections in the highest strains of devotion* 
they sing forth the honours of his name in sweetest sym- 
phony, and their voices are attuned in his immediate pre- 
sence to celestial harmony. Oh could our lodges, brethren 
be filled with such members, as would harmonize their 
souls to such hallowed exercises, and form their tempers, 
their dispositions and their hearts upon such divine mo- 
dels of purity, peace and concord ; then and then on- 
ly, would we rise to the first elevation and dignity o* 
Masons ; then would our societies resemble the socie- 
ties of Angels, and our lodges be the transcript of hea- 
ven upon earth. "Behold" saith the Psalmist " how 
good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell toge- 
ther in unity ! It is like the precious ointment upon tbjj, 
head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard ; 
that went down to the skirts of his garments as the dew 
of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the 
mountains of Zion : for there the Lord commandeth the 
blessing, even life forevermore. ' 9 

Thus the essence of our order, is benevolence, its 
spirit is love, and our union friendship ; what is Chris- 
tianity but a system of love ? Its founder was a media- 
tor of love, and John, his beloved disciple, was an apos- 
tle of love : nay, the eternal God himself, who is en- 
throned in unrivalled glories at the head of the Universe, 
and whose goodness is disseminated through countless 
worlds in streams of the purest benevolence, delights in 
announcing his name, " as a God of love." In the sanctu- 
aries of our lodges, we adore his transcendant greatness, 
and we humbly attempt to imitate his goodness ; his re~ 



( 76 ) 

ligion we would fondly hope to cherish in our hearts, 
that it may soften our dispositions, harmonize our tern^ 
pers, expand our affections, and wing our souls to hea- 
ven upon deeds of the sublimest benevolence. Behold, 
my brother, thy friend, or thy father's friend, chilled by 
the cold hand of poverty, languishing under disease, 
and full of pains, tossing to and fro until the dawning of 
the day ;" there thy heart will sympathise with his suf- 
ferings, thy hand will gently raise his head from the bed 
of languishing, and the tender voice of thy consolations, 
will sooth and alleviate his pains. See a stranger driven 
by tyranny from a land of despotism, appalled with the 
clangor of bolts, the awful gloom of a dungeon, or the 
noisome stench of a prison-ship, hear him uttering the 
accents of distress, soliciting the assylum of protection, 
and behold the arrows of affliction piercing into his soul, 
Here the the ensigns of Masonry are unfurled, the arms 
of compassion are unfolded, the tear of pity falls, the 
pulse of life throbs, and we are hurried with all the 
velocity of instinct to mitigate his woe. The hand of 
relief is generously stretched out, we encircle him in 
the embraces of friendship, and with the ardent grip of 
a brother, which thrills with enthusiasm through every 
nerve of the soul, our hearts melt and dissolve into the 
tenderest affections of sympathy Oh holy fervors of 
the masonic soul 1 oh delightful and honorable feelings 
of nature, that burst into tears of sacred friendship at 
the cries of distress, and vibrate with a generous im- 
pulse, to extend the wished for relief ! — <v By their fruits, 
you shall know them," saith the scripture, "men do not 
gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from a bramble, 
bushj'? 



( 77 ) 

If such happy effects are produced by the spirit of 
our order ; nay, if such amiable and exalted virtues 
naturally flow from its benevolent effects. If all the 
charities and graces of religion, are refined, fostered 
and matured by a faithful adherence to its venerable and 
sublime mysteries, then may its secrets and its honors 
be everlasting, while its fruits and effects are thus Chris- 
tian, glorious, celestial. — " Now abideth faith, hope, 
charity, these three, but the greatest of these is chari- 
ty." With the Bible for our guide, with heaven in 
view and benevolence in our hearts, we go hand in hand 
through the dreary wilderness of human life. As we 
proceed on our journey, thus aiding and supporting 
one another, we endeavor to banish wretchedness and 
discord from society and to disseminate the seeds of 
virtue and happiness as far as we possibly can. We 
raise up the bowed down, we bind up the broken heart- 
ed, we sooth the sorrowful with the tears of sympathy, 
and we mingle our condolence and relief with the cries 
of sufferings and distress. These are the secrets of 
Masonry, these are the mysteries of our order, these 
are the invisible objects, the modest virtues of our pri- 
vate meetings, which though concealed from the no- 
tice of the world in the shades of humble obscurity, 
are pregnant with innumerable blessings to society and 
will be productive of the most glorious rewards in the 
estimation of God. While many bigotted mortals, 
wrapt up in their own little party spirit, imagine the 
Almighty to be their peculiar Deity, Jesus Christ their 
peculiar Saviour, and their own creed and their own 
church, possessed of peculiar infallibility. We of the 
^taspnic prder, embrace all sects, all religions, all 



( 78 ) 

creeds, all denominations in the wide and expanded 
arms of universal benevolence. Our creed is the 
scriptures, our virtue is to do good, our principle is 
love, and our hopes are immortality. Brethren, the 
observations and reflections offered in this discourse 
are naturally and intimately connected with the untime- 
ly and melancholy death of a much respected member 
of our fraternity. " Farewell thou departed spirit, thy 
name is justly dear to our hearts ! May thy good deeds 
live in our memories and thy many virtues be recorded 
in heaven. For though the cold and kindred earth, be 
thy grave, and the worms thy sister and brother, yet 
thy soul if clothed with the robes of unspotted benevo- 
lence and worth, shall enjoy the communion of thy 
God. Awake and sing, thou that dwellest in the dust, 
for Jesus that sits at his Father's right hand, is thy re- 
deemer and intercessor, thy light and thy life." " Mark 
the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of 
that man is peace." 

Brethren, it is our duty, to lay the death of every 
departed brother, seriously to our hearts, and learn 
useful lessons of repentance and wisdom. Alas ! what 
is human life, but a vapour ? How frail its nature ! 
How short its duration ! " Man that is born of woman, 
is but of few days and full of trouble. He cometh up 
as a flower, but is soon cut down, he fleeth also as a 
shadow and continueth not. " " There is no wisdom, 
knowledge nor device in the grave, whither we are all 
hastening. ' ' 

But see the heavens opening in their brightest glo- 
ries, to admit into their cloudless mansions, all worthy, 
true and upright Masons ; there they shall live in ever^ 



( 79) 

lasting friendship, there they shall shine in garments of 
light, and there they shall be happy, through endless 
ages, " when these lower worlds shall dissolve and 
die ." In those worlds of radiance and bliss, beyond the 
grave, the mysteries of this dark and imperfect state 
shall be removed, the tokens, signs and symbols of our 
order, shall be done away, and the palace of the Al- 
mighty, wide as the dome of nature and stable as the 
foundations of the universe, shall be our lodge, the 
embraces of his love, our delight, and the manifesta- 
tions of his presence and glory, our joy and rejoicing 
forever. In heaven, " there is a dwelling place for the 
righteous, and mansions of everlasting rest for the wea- 
ry." There the pains of disease, the sorrows of af- 
fliction and the terrors of death, shall trouble them no 
more, there, the parent shall no more lament the de- 
parted child, the endearing spouse, the partner of her 
joys and her sorrows, nor the affectionate brother, 
weep over the lifeless remains of a brother ; but there 
the tenderest ties of friendship and kindred affection 
shall be united forever. Happy state of pure felicity, 
which is thus to succeed the troubles of life, the ruins 
of death and the loathsome horrors of the grave ! 
" There, O virtue, thy triumphs are complete, thy na- 
ture, thy essence and thy sacred influences shall bloom 
and flourish, when time itself shall be no more. Oh 
religion, thou soother of our sorrows, thou sweetener of 
our joys! Thou takest off the veil of mourning from 
our hearts, thou infusest the blessings of peace through 
life, and thou gently smoothest our passage to the grave. 
In a word, thou becomest a pillar of support to us in the 
hour of death, and thou enlightcnest our path through 
the clouds, to the gates of immortality.' ? 

I 



( 80 ) 

" Thus the work of righteousness is peace, and th£ 
effects of righteousness are, quietness and assurance 
forever." 

What are all the groveling pursuits, the short lived 
pleasures of this world, in comparison of the glories, 
that shall be revealed ? This world can make nothing 
secure, permanent or happy ; but the treasures of the 
gospel are all precious, and the rewards of the righte- 
ous are everlasting. These reach beyond the cham- 
bers of death and the grave, they extend to unknown 
worlds and unknown ages* they never diminish, they 
always iricrease, they will outlive the ruins of the 
earth and the heavens, and be eternal as the throne of 
God. As fast as Providence shall bring forth days and 
years and new scenes, the inheritance of the righteous 
will remain durable and permanent; nay, when the 
wheels of time shall cease to move, they will be in pos- 
session of immortality. This is the reward of virtue^ 
the perfection of religion and the consummation of 
happiness. Thus the lights of the gospel illuminate us 
in this dreary wilderness, they cheer us through the 
dark valley of the grave, they guide us to the serene 
mansions of the celestial paradise, and they direct us 
upon an ascending scale of immortal honours, from 
grace to grace, from virtue to virtue, and from glory 
to glory, until we ultimately arrive at the throne of the 
Most High, where all is love, and light and life* and 
" where there is no darkness at all. " There all the er- 
rors, the prejudices and bigotry of this imperfect state 
shall be extinguished in the rays of eternal truth, and 
unspotted worth and pure benevolence, shall be irradi- 
ated with beams of immortal glory. 



( 81 ) 

But alas ! should we reverse the landscape, and in- 
vert the picture, should we present the woes, the hor- 
rors and the dreadful consequences of vice, who can 
describe the frowns and wrath of the Almighty, when he 
makes bare his red right arm, to inflict vengeance and 
punishment upon guiit ? His terrors are more alarm 
ing than death, more tremendous than the forked light- 
ning, more awful and astounding than the rolling 
thunder. " Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlast- 
ing fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." But 
do thou, O thou eternal spirit, and source of light and 
life ! preserve us from such a destiny ; and do thou il- 
luminate our souls with such a portion of thy wisdom 
and truth, as may direct our steps at all times in the 
paths of our duty ; that feeling the influence of thy 
spirit and the beams of thy love, we may go on from 
strength to strength, from grace to grace, and from 
glory to glory; until at length, we " enter into that 
fulness of joy, which is at thy right hand for evermore, 
where those that be wise, shall shine as the brightness 
of the firmament, and those, that turn many to righte- 
ousness, as the stars for ever and ever, Amen." 

FINIS. 



ERRATA. 



In Dedication, for Gentemen read Gentlemen. Page" 3d, for huec read h&c 
and for proebent resid prcebent. Pagt 4ih bottom, for subsistan.ee read sub- 
sistence. Page 5th, 1st line, insert a comma after science, and in 5th line 
after the word knowledge. Page 9th, bottom line, for cantore read C>an* 
idre. Page 12th, 5th line, for aspest read aspect ; 12th linedo. for Zeuephon 
read Xenophon. 13th page, 6th line from bottom, for philosophy lead 
geometry. Page 14th, 11th line from bottom, for illustrious read illwtriousi 
Page 15th, 13th line, for Stagrite, read Stagyrite. Page 27th, bottom line» 
for teachin read teaching. Page 35th, 10th line, after razw insert a comma. 
Page 36, 4th line, for amince read animce. Page 39th, 6th line from bottom, 
for barbariry read barbarity, 14th do. from top, for disenthralled read 
disenthralled. Page 42d, 10th line, for develish, read devilish. Page 43d 5th 
line from bottom, take out the comma between Michael, and Angelo. 
Page 46, 8th line from bottom, for apprenticeships read apprenticeship. 
Page 47th, 14th line from bottom, for comple read complete. Page 49th, 
7th line from bottom, for you read ye. Page 5lst, in title of Sermon, for 
Happines read Happiness. Page 53d, bottom line, for existance read 
existence. 54th, for persevereing read persevering. Page 55th, 16th line 
from bottom, for viberaie read vibrate. 56th, 16th line do. from bottom^ 
for it ii read is it. 63d, 14th line, for unsearcheable read unsearchable. 
66th, 2d line, for illumited read illuminated. 76th, 15th line, for assylum 
read asylum. 77th, 6th line from bottom, for bigotted read bigoted. 2d line 
do. from the bottom, take out the period after the word infallibility, and 
insert a cfrzs-A. 

7#e reader will himself correct any other errors that may have escaped the 
Author's aye-. 



